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DIAGNOSTIC TRAINING BUNDLE FOR THE AUTOMOTIVE ELECTRICAL MASTER CLASSIncludes:- Diagnostic Electrical Problems on today’s motor vehicles 2022 Edition with added video reference links and content.- Curien Automotive Applications for N2 Neuron and Beyond 2022 Edition with added video content and links.- Bonus video content exclusive to book buyers onlyAutomotive Training Content in this bundled book pack is going to be updated on the digital content.Get step - by - step instructions on how to accomplish automotive tests using N2 Neutests using N2 Neuron or other tools .Get the most use out of your new tools and don’t let the old ones collect more dust!Stay up to date on electrical basics, principles, theory and pand practice.

Table of Contents ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 1 Diagnosing Electrical Problems on Today’s Motor Vehicles Page(s) • Acknowledgments 2 • The Bare Basics You Need to Know 3 - 12 o What You Need to Know About Electricity o Circuit City o Series & Parallel Circuits o Fuses o Relays • Essential Tools and Tests 13 - 41 o Test Lights, Logic Probes, Meters, & Labscopes o Powered Component Checker o Meters & Labscopes: The Tools You Really Need o Amp / Current Clamps o Voltage Drops • Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems 41 - 58 o Safety o Dealing With Battery Problems o Charging and Jump Starting • Diagnosing Today’s Alternator Problems 59 - 71 o Alternator Theory You Need to Know o Testing the Charging System • Diagnosing Today’s Starter Problems …...63 63 72 - 82 o Starter Theory You Need to Know o Testing the Starter System • Labscope Usage & Waveform Diagnostics 83 - 112 o Understanding the Nature of a Waveform • Book Information 113

Acknowledgements ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 2 Copyright © 2003 Birnbaum-Truglia-ATTS Inc. Copyright © 2003 - 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc. "G" Gerry Truglia All Rights Reserved Graphic art by Ralph Birnbaum and Craig Truglia Edited by Craig Truglia, Gerald Tabas, Joshua Carton & Fernando Orale Printed in the United States No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of the author. Disclaimer: Original OEM information, specifications, and procedures should always precede any information given in this book. The writer of this book, its editor, contributors, and publisher are not responsible for any damage done to vehicles or any injury or mortal harm that might come about in result of following the advice, procedures, or anything in this book. Acknowledgments: I would like to thank my sons Craig and Corey Truglia for edits to this book. Kevin Quinlan and Alexis Portillo also helped us by performing real-world tests that are used in this book. Lastly, special thanks for my techs who brought their problems to my training center. A special thanks to Mike Kotarba for his edit and additions.

The Bare Basics You Need to Know ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 3 The Bare Basics You Need to Know Electrical problems forcing you to sublet problem vehicles or pay others for diagnostics? Are they keeping you from becoming an A tech? There is no reason that you cannot fix these vehicles. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to diagnose electrical problems. We will not fill your head with theory and words that do not help you in the real world. In this book, we will approach learning electricity exactly how you would approach any electrical problem you encounter in your shop. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ELECTRICITY First, we need to get acquainted with need-to-know electrical facts. We promise only to cover the terms and theory that are necessary to perform the essential tests you need. VOLTS, AMPS & WATTS The movement of electricity through wires or cables with an electrical conductor inside is similar to water traveling through a hose. Just as it takes pressure to move water, it takes pressure to move electricity. Electrical pressure is called voltage (V) and the more pressure there is, the more volts we have.

The Bare Basics You Need to Know ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 4 But the more volts we have does not necessarily mean we have more electricity. Remember, electricity is just like a hose that shoots water. Sure, you can put your thumb on the end of the hose and increase the pressure of the water shooting out, but less water volume is shooting out. Amperage (A) is the amount of electricity in the wires, just like volume would be the amount of water in the hose. Amps have nothing to do with pressure. Just like a hose with the spigot turned off, without any pressure, the water just stays there. One last example. Let’s say you wanted to know how long it took to fill up a pool with your hose. Wouldn’t you need to know how much water is in the hose and how quickly the water shoots out? The same is true for knowing how a 60-watt light bulb works. Watts (W) is the amount of electricity per second that a component needs. The light bulb does not care how much amps OR volts the wires have. It only cares that the amount of electricity that it gets fed is enough to light it. Whether you are flowing a lot of amps but at a low voltage or little amps at a high voltage, all the light bulb cares about is if it gets enough of BOTH volts and amps of electricity. SIMPLY PUT: VOLTS X AMPS = WATTS Why is this important? We once had a 1999 Mercedes 500 SL, come in with a burned-out bulb, melted socket and lens. We removed a 9004 Halogen bulb, watt rated at 100 high beam/80 low beam. Testing the bulb’s circuit with a meter showed us the problem (high beams were at 14V and 7.2A—100.8W if you do the math). But, Read The Friggin’ Information (RTFI)! This Mercedes requires a 45/65W model 9004 Halogen bulb, so that’s what we installed along with a new socket and lens. The bulb kept burning out because the wattage was wrong. Keep this in the back of your head, and let’s get more acquainted with the basics.

The Bare Basics You Need to Know ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 5 ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE Would you tie your hose into knots, bend part of it, poke holes in it, and then expect to be able to wash your car? Of course not! You’re blocking the flow of water six ways to Sunday. So, why do we expect damaged wires or loose and dirty connections to provide the proper amps and volts? Would you loosely connect your hose to the spigot, so water can escape? Think not! Just like a hose needs to be intact and well connected, so do wires! Otherwise, we run into resistance. We measure electrical resistance in Ohms (Ω.) WHY SHOULD I CARE??? When we discuss battery, starter, alternator, ignition, and other electrical problems that give us headaches, you are going to see that the problem is almost always basic. The connections are loose or corroded, the wires are damaged or too small, and etcetera. Usually, there’s too much resistance, not allowing enough electricity to make it to the “load” (the component that needs electricity, like a starter). This is called VD (voltage drop), and this is the most common electrical problem that you will encounter.

The Bare Basics You Need to Know ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 6 CIRCUIT CITY We need to review what exactly a circuit is. Hopefully, the goofy corporate symbol of the bankrupt company distracted you long enough to realize you’re in for more theory! Everything we deal with concerning electricity has to do with circuits. Just like how a racing circuit is a track that runs in a circle, with the start and finish in the same place, the same is true of electrical circuits. In an electrical circuit, for it to work, the electricity has to be able to finish the race, from start to finish, from negative (-) to positive (+). As long as the circuit is intact, it will be able to power components like starters, lights, and pumps. Any electrically powered component is called a load. There are two kinds of circuits: Series Circuit • Loads connect in a row. • Current is the same anywhere in the circuit. Parallel Circuit • The bulbs are wired in parallel, because if one burns out, the other works. • The bulbs are wired in parallel, because if one burns out, the other works. An Example of a Complete Circuit

The Bare Basics You Need to Know ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 7 MORE ON SERIES AND PARALLEL CIRCUITS We were not born with intense knowledge of series and parallel circuits, so let’s back up a bit! Remember the good ol’ days? Sure, crime wasn’t as bad and the economy was better, but technology was one thing that was much worse. Case-in-point: Christmas lights. With the old ones, if one light burned out, the whole set didn’t work! Then, you’d have to screw in and out each bulb and install a replacement bulb until they would all light up again. Why? The old Christmas lights were a series circuit. All the loads (lights) were connected in a row, and if one bulb went out, the circuit was no longer complete. The electricity stops at the burned-out bulb, and it cannot race around and complete the circuit until it can travel through a good bulb. Some brilliant guy came up with the idea of making Christmas lights a parallel circuit. Now, if one bulb burned out, the electricity had another pathway around the burned-out bulb so it can go to a good bulb and then complete the circuit. Some Christmas lights are an example of a Series-Parallel Circuit Some new Christmas lights have a switch to turn them off. So, while if one bulb burns out, the others still work, the switch stops all the lights. But enough about Christmas, where do we see this in a vehicle? Changing a Christmas light teaches us a few things about circuits.

The Bare Basics You Need to Know ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 8 SERIES-PARALLEL CIRCUITS Just like the name suggests, there are circuits that are a little bit of both. To the right, the bulbs are wired parallel, and the circuit in the blue dotted box is a series circuit. If one burns out, there is another path for the electricity to take so that it can run the whole circuit. However, look at the dash box! There is a switch in there! The moment a switch is turned onto “off” or a fuse blows, the electricity cannot complete the circuit and neither light will be lit. This happens all the time on vehicle. You’ve seen a vehicle pull in with one headlamp burned out and the other bright. Obviously, one headlamp can burn out without affecting the circuitry of the other. But the lamp switch affects the circuitry of both, right? That’s because headlamps are part of a series-parallel circuit. A Series-Parallel Circuit A real-world series-parallel circuit

The Bare Basics You Need to Know ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 9 REVIEWING SWITCHES AND CIRCUITS A switch opens and closes a circuit. Remember, just like a race circuit needs to be connected from beginning to end so the cars can keep doing laps, an electrical circuit needs to be connected from beginning to end for electricity to keep racing laps around the circuit. In your house, we’re sure you are familiar with turning your lights on and off, and short circuits. How does this work? Closed Circuit Switch = Switch On See how the light bulb is lit? This is because the switch in the picture is connecting one part of the circuit to the other. The circuit is closed. Electricity can run its race around the circuit! Replace the switch with a wire, the bulb will still light—the circuit is complete. Open Circuit = Switch Off Now that the switch is in the off position, we can see that the light is now off. The electrical connection has been lifted and the circuit is incomplete. When a circuit is incomplete, the circuit is open.

The Bare Basics You Need to Know ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 10 OPEN AND SHORT CIRCUITS Chances are if your customer comes in with an electrical problem, he says the car has a “short.” Not every electrical problem is a short! Open Circuits See the gap between the wires where it says “open circuit?” That’s all an open is! An open is when there is a disconnect in the circuit. Electricity cannot complete the circuit, and it stops where the break / open begins. Short Circuits Ever get a vehicle where you turn on the park lights and—or some other circuit runs besides the one you chose? That is a short to power circuit. A short to ground circuit is when the voltage takes a shorter path to the load and goes directly to ground. This usually blows fuses and burns wires right away.

The Bare Basics You Need to Know ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 11 FUSES AND FUSIBLE LINKS In your house, after turning on the blender when the microwave is on, BAM! Everything turns off. So, you go to the circuit breaker, flip the switch and complete the circuit. Everything now works. Why does this happen? Way back when, people didn’t know that much about electricity and would run too many things on too small a wire, that the wire would heat up and burn apart, creating an open. So, it was easier to install fuses which blow when the amount of the loads in a room, overload the circuit. It works this way: The electricity needed to run these loads was exceeded, thus burning the fuse open preventing damage to the wires in your wall. This open circuit prevents the wires from being damaged. Every time a fuse blew, you had to replace it. Now houses have circuit breakers so you don’t need to replace a fuse, vehicles mostly use fuses along with some circuit breakers. We bet that you’ve replaced fuses in many vehicles fuse boxes due to an inoperative electrical circuit. The fuses and fusible links (a wire that acts like a fuse) exist to protect vital vehicle components from excess electricity. **That’s why you should never replace a fuse with a higher rated one.** It blows at a certain amount of amps for a reason! A standard fuse An old-styled home fuse

The Bare Basics You Need to Know ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 12 DIAGNOSING RELAYS Let’s look at relay operation and internal components in more detail. The relay is an electrically operated switch. A low current switched circuit controls the relay. The ignition switch is only one example of a switch used to operate a relay: the headlight switch or a switch inside a computer are other examples. Once the electromagnet inside the relay is switched on, current running through the coiled relay winding creates a magnetic field. The magnet moves the switch contacts inside the relay to open or close them. Relays can turn circuits on or off. We can jump 30 (B+) and 87 (load + side of the circuit) with a fused lead allowing the load to operate. This can be helpful to confirm the integrity of the component, such as fuel pumps, cooling fans or any other load that is controlled by the relay. The inner workings of a relay

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 13 Essential Tools and Tests It’s not the stone age. You will not be able to diagnose electrical problems with a test light. We are not going to waste time discussing in detail tools we are never going to use. However, it is helpful to understand the differences between tools, as it gives us an idea of how electricity and the tools themselves work. TEST LIGHTS, LOGIC PROBES, METERS, & LABSCOPES • Low impedance test lights can't measure rapidly pulsing voltages and may damage sensitive electronic circuits by overloading them. • Logic Probes respond to slower frequency pulsing voltage signals and display them better than test lights. At higher frequencies, however, the LED pulses occur so quickly that they become indistinguishable to the human eye. While LPs load the test circuit less than a low impedance test light, they still cannot identify waveform shapes or make accurate measurements of either voltage or time. • Digital Multimeters sample a circuit at relatively slow speeds. Even high-speed Digital Multimeters sample a circuit more slowly than a labscope and display averaged values. • An Automotive Labscope might typically sample a circuit by collecting millions of samples per second. Clearly, the scope is the tester of choice when we need to accurately measure fast switching signals. Common electrical tools

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 14 METERS AND LABSCOPES: THE TOOLS YOU REALLY NEED Meters and scopes (slang for labscope) are essentially the same. They will tell us different electrical measurements (remember Volts, Amps, and Ohms?). While meters give us a number, such as 12 V, scopes show us a graphical representation of that number. It’s not rocket science! You know how graphs work. Take this graph for a stock. As of writing this, the stock is $32.19 a share. Obviously, its price is not always stable, it zigzags up and down. So, let’s use this metaphor a little longer. A meter would be accurate, and it would tell us the stock price, $32.19. But it would not show us what price it was before. And, if the stock price changes, the number on the meter changes too. However, a scope helps us see the stock price change graphically, like in the above, so we can see more information than just a number at any given moment. Remember, meters and scopes measure the same thing: electricity. That means if you know how to use a meter, you will know how to use a scope. Therefore, let’s get acquainted with the meter and how to use one. When it is relevant, we will discuss scope usage. Stock tickers show us a change of a value over time

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 15 N2 Neuron The N2 Neuron is the industry’s first compact two-channel Bluetooth graphing meter with built in automotive system and component tests that works with both iOS and Android devices. The N2 Neuron has most electrical measurements you will need to test on automotive vehicles today and in the future. The N2 Neuron works with your smartphone, tablet, Android based scan tool (as long as it is unlocked and able to download apps) or computer. At the time of this writing a windows app is in development but has not yet been released. The N2 Neuron is a hardware device that measures the real world and allows the Curien Hub (app) to interpret, analyze and provide you feedback on that.

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 16 Basic METER They have many names (Digital Multimeter, DMM, Digital Volt-Ohmmeter, DVOM) but they measure the same things. We highlighted them and provided an explanation below the picture: 1. Volts AC – Measures AC voltage, good for detecting excess AC ripple and diagnosing, crank and cam sensors. 2. Volts DC and RPM – Used with the majority of our voltage test and voltage drop tests above the mV scale. 3. Millivolts DC – Same as Volts DC but measures only mV—makes it easier to detect voltage drops. Scale limit to 400 or 600 mV depending on the meter. 4. Ohms – Used to check continuity & electrical resistance. 5. Test Diodes – Use this to check diodes. 6. Milliamps or amps DC – Used to test for parasitic draw, measure amperage draws and jump circuits (under 10 amps.) 7. Milliamps or amps AC – You’ll likely not need to use this. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 17 Using Amps (A) Using your meter, you will be using amps mode to check solenoids, test for parasitic draw or to jump circuits. Most of the time, you will be using an amp clamp, so we will cover that separately. Here are some Amp mode pointers: • On cars, you’ll never really need to use the mA jack. Put some electrical tape over it, because all you can do is blow a costly fuse by mistake. It can only handle 400 milliamps/0.4 A. Note that with the N2 Neuron you can measure down to microamps and up to 10 amps internally on the same port. The tool handles the changes in range for you. • Most meters will blow an internal fuse that you can’t get at your local electronic store if you measure anything more than 10 A. Just to be on the safe side, always connect a 10 A fuse attached to a fuse harness to your red test lead (in series) so if there are too much A the fuse in the harness will blow, and not the one in the meter. This is true for the N2 Neuron as well, however if you are measuring across the fuses (more on this later) or with a shunt you can measure hundreds of amps utilizing voltage drop mathematics and the app to calculate amps within 5 milliamps and not blow the internal fuse. • When you switch to A mode, always make sure to follow these steps in order to avoid blowing a fuse. o By default, your leads should always be plugged into the COM and V/mV ports o Switch your meter to A mode.

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 18 o Plug your red lead in the A, not the mA, port. o Attach a 10 A fuse or circuit breaker (as shown in the picture) in series with your red lead. o When you are done, pull out the red lead and put back in the V/mV port. All these rules sound silly, but in the real world we end one job only to start another, and when we pull out the meter again, we may forget that the red lead is still in the A port. So, we can blow a fuse by not habitually following the steps above. Jumping a Circuit When we are diagnosing open or short circuits, we might suspect there is a specific part of the circuit that’s causing the open or short. A quick way to determine that is to jump the circuit. It’s really simple: As you can see to the right, the light bulb is lit. But it’s not because our circuit was closed (aka complete). There isn’t a wire between the battery terminal and the ground side of the bulb! In fact, the bulb should not light at all, but it does because we jumped the connection. We can add a wire with alligator clips on the end to create a connection, proving the bulb can light. Using a meter in A mode and connecting it between the load and power source does the same thing. Remember this is ONLY to be used on loads under 10 amps.

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 19 Why is this important? When we have opens or shorts that are not glaringly obvious, jumping the circuit will quickly confirm our suspicions. If a circuit didn’t light because we think a certain part of it is open/shorted, then it works when we jump it, doesn’t that confirm that the circuit we had to jump did have an open or short? Of course! Using an Amp Clamp Amp clamps are great, because there’s no worrying about blowing fuses and it’s easy. There are two kinds of amp clamps: low current and high current. They work exactly the same. Amp clamp jaws need to be entirely closed and the 9-volt battery has to be good before you calibrate it. Click the zero button or rotate the dial to make your measurements more accurate. You attach the amp clamp to your COM and V/mV ports (For N2 use COM and OHMS Ports for high precision measurements) on your meter/scope, put it around the wire you want to measure amps from and that’s it! Some scopes require a BNC connector, which allows you to plug into one channel on your scope. For example, if you want to measure starter current, all you do is place your high current amp clamp around the battery cable with the clamp closed shut, put your meter on V DC, turn the key and crank the starter, and your meter will show hundreds of amps. When you have your amp clamp adjusted to 10mV/1A on the Curien clamp (100 mV on the Fluke amp clamp) amps will be displayed as mV and V. Take a look at the meters we have connected at the battery checking Parasitic Draw. The readings are almost exact, the meter to the left is on DC A Two different ways to measure parasitic draw

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 20 (reading 14.14 amps) and the meter to the right is on DC volts (reading 1.449 amps) with the amp clamp conversion. The amp clamp is not always exactly accurate but it close enough.

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 21 Using an Amp Clamp CONTINUED Here’s the exact math: 1 mV on your meter equals 10 mA. 10 mV on your meter equals 100 mA. 100 mV on your meter equals 1 A. 1000 mV/1V on your meter equals 10 A. 10 V on your meter equal 100 A. …and so on, and so forth… Just add an imaginary zero to your mV readings to make it mA. The clamp does the measuring of all the numbers, all you need to do is convert in your mind mV to mA and V to A. NOTE: The N2 Neuron and the app will automatically convert this for you as long as you tell the tool which setting you have the amp clamp on, for example, 10mv = 1A. or 100 mv = 1A. Here’s a neat trick. Put some electrical tape over the 1mV/100mA part of your amp clamp. Don’t use it. This avoids confusion and makes everything in your shop run smoother. Time is money! CLAMP OR NO CLAMP? As you can see, amp probes are pretty accurate. The wavelengths are nearly identical. Amp clamp top and AC voltage bottom. Note: Computer components on most (PCM, TCM, BCM) will fry if they draw more than 1.2 A for more than 6 mS, so do not power these circuits carelessly. AMP clamp conversions on a Curien clamp.

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 22 METER TESTS Before you perform any tests, make sure of the following: 1. That your meter AND its leads are built to work on that circuit. For example, if you are working on a hybrid vehicle, a CAT III meter AND leads are required. Otherwise, you risk electrocution and damage to your meter. 2. Make sure your leads are plugged into the correct socket. It’s not rocket science! a. Red plugs into red and black plugs into black. b. When the meter is on V, make sure the red lead is NOT plugged into the A socket—otherwise you WILL blow the fuse in your meter. When using the Ohm meter selection on the meters, make sure your test leads are ready to go. You do this by putting your meter onto Ohm’s mode and touching the leads against each other. They might show a small amount of resistance. For Basic Meters click <Zero> and the meter will read 0.000. In the case of the N2 Neuron, the tool is so sensitive that if you zero the leads this way your tool may show fluctuations between positive and negative microvolts (µV) micro amps (µA) or micro-ohms (µΩ ). A Microohm is .0000001 Ω (now that’s a lot of zeros) so when you see 3, 30 or 300 µΩ that is (.0000003 Ω, .0000030 Ω or .0000300 Ω Testing the leads on your meter by using ohms.

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 23 respectively) That is still .0000 Ω to your other meters, they just can’t see as deep as the N2 into the measurements. The N2 is this sensitive for a reason, but we will get more into that later. This is a matter of Knowledge is power! Now you’re good to go!

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 24 Always start with a good ground, the battery negative terminal or use a Powered Component Checker if the battery terminal is too far away.

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 25 Measuring Volts DC Almost everything on a vehicle is powered by direct current known as DC. A few things on the car like the alternator, crank sensors, cam sensors, and ABS sensors have alternating current (AC). While there are technical differences between AC and DC, they’re both electricity and most of the time you are working with DC. So, let’s worry about working with DC first. Let’s work with one theoretical example of how we measure Volts DC: Here’s a bulb that won’t light! First, when working on a car, make sure the battery is not the issue! With the meter on Volts-DC mode and the red lead on the positive and the black lead on the negative terminal, the battery should be about 12.6 V.

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 26 Measuring Volts DC CONTINUED Keep the black lead at the negative (-) terminal and work down the circuit, A to D. • If you find battery voltage at test point A, the wire leading to it is properly connected. • If you find battery voltage at both test points A and B, there is an open somewhere between test point B and the battery negative post. • If you find battery voltage at test point C, the circuit is open between C and the negative terminal. • If you find battery voltage at point D, there is an open circuit between point D and the battery negative terminal. Work your way through a problem circuit to find the open.

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 27 Open Circuits A corroded terminal, an open in the wire, or anything in between can cause of the electrical problem on the preceding page. Until you hit the point in the circuit that has the problem, voltage will remain about the same—about 12.6 V or whatever the battery is at. Why? Remember, electricity is like water! You know how a river’s flow (current) is the same until it hits a dam and subsequently stops? The flow of the water obviously stops at the dam. It is the same with electricity! Electricity’s current and voltage flows the same way until it hits an open. Keep the dam in mind when you are looking for an open in a circuit! RIVER FLOW The principles of electricity are a lot like water.

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 28 Voltage Drop Tests Now, not every electrical problem you run into is the result of an open in the circuit. Let’s say a car pulls in with one headlamp that’s bright and the other one dim. You replaced the bulb, and the problem remains. What do you do now? We are going to have to remember some of the testing techniques we just learned and add a new one to our repertoire: the voltage drop test. Essentially, a voltage-drop test measures the reduction in voltage due to resistance (more than normal / excessive) in the circuit. It is impossible to get a 0 voltage drop on a working / complete circuit. A reading of up to 200 mV is permissible on a non-computer circuit, while dealing with a computer component, 100 mV or less is permissible. Review for those who don’t know: • If you were measuring for DC voltage and then decide to do a voltage drop test, you’ll need to switch your meter to mV or scale your meter down to mV. • There are 1,000 mV in 1 V. For example, 1.11V = 1,110 mV. • When you are doing a voltage drop test on mV DC mode and the meter displays “OL,” you definitely have a bad reading! Voltage Drop Tests Bad Reading: More than 200mV Bad Reading for Computer Electronics: More than 100mV

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 29 Voltage Drop Tests CONTINUED Let’s get back to the headlamp we were talking about. The fact that it lights dimly means that an open is not our problem—an open circuit does not allow anything to work, so the blub will definitely be out. So, we know right from the onset that somewhere somehow not enough electricity is able to travel through a part of the circuit. If electricity runs into too much resistance anywhere in the circuit, it compromises the whole circuit’s (and the headlamp’s) ability to work well. We need to perform a voltage drop test, but how; and… WHERE DO WE START??? Let’s work with an overly simplified headlamp circuit. If it helps, follow along in our example with a black pen and a red pen, pretending they are your meter’s black and red test leads. Always check system voltage first, using V DC on your meter. 1. Check that the battery has 12.6 V. a. If voltage is low, the battery needs to be charged. Lamp Relay Fuse Switch Battery Ground Side Feed Side Lamp Socket Feed Lamp Socket Ground

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 30 Voltage Drop Tests CONTINUED 2. Isolate where the problem is in the circuit by doing a quick voltage drop test. All the test does is tell us which side of the circuit has electrical resistance (hence, “Voltage drop”) that prevents electricity from flowing: the feed or the ground side. Once we know where to look, it makes everything much easier! A good voltage drop on almost all circuits is below 200 mV. So, to find out if we have a good voltage drop on the feed side, all we do is put our red lead on the positive terminal of the battery and our black lead on the feed (positive) side of the lamp. Positive to positive. To find out if I have a voltage drop on the ground (negative) side, we put our black lead on the negative battery terminal and the red lead on the ground side of the lamp. Negative to negative. Positive to positive, negative to negative—that’s a voltage drop test! So, if the feed side of the lamp is good and the ground side bad, we might get a reading of 50 mV on the feed side and 750 mV on the ground side. If the feed side of the lamp is bad, but the ground side is good we might see 750 mV on the feed side and 50 mV on the ground side. If both sides are good, they might have 50 mV voltage drops. If both sides are bad, they might have over 200 mV voltage drops. Once you know which side is bad, all you need to do is trace the wires until you hit a bad reading. It’s easy! See the next page.

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 31 Voltage Drop Test on the Feed Side Let’s say our voltage drop test shows a voltage drop on the feed side. Here’s how we find it. 1. Check voltage at the load by putting the black lead on the ground side of the battery and put the red lead on the feed side of the lamp (load.) You should have a 12.6 V reading, because unless electricity runs into resistance, it should not drop until it gets consumed by a load. If this is not the case, this means you have a voltage drop (resistance) occurring on the feed side. a. While you are at it, take your red lead and now touch the ground side of the lamp socket (load). With your meter switched to DC mV, you should have 200 mV or less. If not, we have more problems (covered on the next page). 2. Let’s switch back to V DC and bring the red lead to the fuse. You should have 12.6 V. a. If not, your problem is between the battery’s positive (+) terminal and the fuse. Corrosion, loose connections, and obvious damage to the wire are the likely culprits creating resistance that decrease electric flow. 3. Assuming everything leading up to and including the fuse is good, take your black lead and connect it to the fuse and take your red lead to the relay. The voltage should be about 200 mV. a. Same rules apply. If you’re not reading about 200 mV or less, the problem is located between your last good reading the fuse and the bad one (the relay). Check out the likely culprits. 4. Lastly, check between the relay and the lamp. If you did not find the problem before, one of the likely culprits is to blame unless the problem is on the ground side.

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 32 Checking Voltage at the Load Your readings should ideally be no more than 200 mV when performing a voltage drop and about 12.6 V when measuring system voltage, as we have been doing the last few pages. Whenever there is excessive resistance in a circuit, the load (here, a head lamp) cannot efficiently consume all the electricity, making the voltage drop above 200 mV and the voltage we measure between parts of the circuit below 12.6 V. So, using the head lamp example, if we check everything and cannot find a problem, we will suspect the load itself. To test the load, we check its voltage. All we do, speaking of the head lamp, is put our red lead on the load’s feed side and the black leads on the load’s ground side. If your meter’s reading is not equal to the battery’s voltage, in our example 12.6 V, then the load itself is to blame. Often, we are checking components with the car running, such as a fuel pump. We measure voltage at the load the same exact way, putting our leads on the ground and feed side of the load. Because the alternator is turning, our battery and system voltage will be about 13.5 to 15 V (sometimes a bit higher.) Any decline from these values of more than half a volt when checking voltage at the load means the fuel pump will run slower, reducing fuel delivery, hurting performance and storing a Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC).

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 33 WANTED: LIKELY ELECTRICAL CULPRITS THAT WILL ROB YOU OF YOUR PRECIOUS TIME Alternator not grounded properly Damaged or undersized wires/cables Loose, dirty, or corroded connections (especially on the battery) REWARD IF APPREHENDED Voltage Drop

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 34 Checking Voltage at the Load CONTINUED We will be measuring about 12.6 V for most lights and relays. On new vehicles, most sensors’ reference voltages are about 5 V DC. If we run into a different voltage, we will need to consult an information database to verify how much voltage we should be looking for. After confirming our measurements do not meet specifications, we can safely assume that there is resistance in the circuit not permitting enough voltage to the load and/or a poor ground. The more we practice and use voltage drop tests in the shop, the more all of this will become second nature to us. Remember, electricity is not our first nature, so don’t feel bad! We’ll learn! Quick Voltage Drop Tips: In reality, as you get more familiar with electricity and know the theory like the back of your hand, you will take short cuts. For example, after a visual inspection, you might assume that there has to be something wrong with the load itself. So, here are quick voltage drop tests: 1. Red lead on (+) battery terminal and black lead on feed side of load. 2. Black lead on (-) battery terminal and the red lead on ground side of load.

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 35 Measuring Resistance Using Your Meter We are almost NEVER going to be measuring Ohms on a vehicle anymore now that we know how to do a voltage drop test. One example would be using an Ohm test on an oxygen sensor heater circuit. All it will tell us is if there is an open circuit or not, because as long as a single thread of copper is intact the circuit will technically be complete—and show resistance on our meter. A notable exception is using the graphing function of the N2 Neuron to show the rise and fall of resistance without dropouts and spikes for potentiometers like fuel sending units and other position sensors. However, if we want to check if there is continuity in a circuit or are unsure where to attach a wire when soldering we are going to need to measure resistance. In order to measure how much resistance there is in the circuit: 1. Make sure the circuit that you want to test is powered down (voltage off.) Otherwise, you will damage the meter when on Ohms mode. 2. Put the meter into Ohms (Ω) mode. 3. Make sure the test leads are plugged into COM and the V-Ω sockets. (COM and Ω for N2 Neuron) 4. Zero the meter leads 5. Put the leads across the part of the circuit you want tested. The meter will tell us how much resistance the electricity is running into when it goes through the circuit. The more ohms, the more resistance. Try holding the leads in your hands. See, you are not a good conductor of electricity!

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 36 An open circuit is an even worse conductor, because its ohms are infinite—there is no way electricity can complete an open circuit. So, the meter will say something like “OL” or “OUCH.” USING a Powered Component Checker There are a few valuable tools that are definitely needed to diagnose electrical problems that we need to break down and buy. A meter with Min/Max. A low and high current amp clamp. A lot of shops do without a scope, but in the long run that’ll cost you time and money. So, we recommend getting a labscope, AND a Powered Component checker. A Powered Component Checker makes diagnosing electrical problems much more convenient and it is a very cheap investment in the automotive world. Here’s what it does that saves us time and money: • Applies power for jumping circuit • Test light • Continuity tester • Bad ground indicator • 20-foot jumper lead set (so you don’t have to reach for that battery!) • Short circuit tester • Relay and component tester We’re going to learn how to use of all of these. Some of the tests we’ll do will be the same as we used with the meter, but with a component checker they are quicker and easier to do. And let’s face it. In the real world, when we are testing components under the vehicle, we cannot reach the battery. You will need a component checker.

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 37 JUMPING COMPONENTS Does the circuit have too much or too little internal resistance or is the component broken? Let’s jump it and find out. Put the tip of a Powered Component Checker on the feed side of the actuator/solenoid and clip the ground side of the same component to the probe’s ground wire. Click the power button on your power checker. If it works, you know the component solenoid is working electrically. Checking for current draw confirms that the component is fully operational. In the picture, you can see that we’re measuring milliamps while doing this. Simply connect your meter in series while in A mode to do this. The simplest way is to have the meter’s black lead connected to the Powered Component Checker’s ground wire and the meter’s red lead connected to the ground side of the component. Jumping a solenoid usually makes a clicking noise

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 38 TESTING FOR CONTINUITY We have an actuator/solenoid that doesn’t work. What do we do first? Check to see if we have power to do it! We connect the tip of our Powered Component Checker to both terminals (wires disconnected – on vehicle) and look for a green light. If the light turns green, we know there isn’t an open circuit in the component we are testing. The continuity test uses lights and beeping

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 39 TESTING AN EVAP ACTUATOR/SOLENOID Does that EVAP actuator/solenoid work? With a vacuum pump installed we apply vacuum to the solenoid. (De-energized) The vacuum should hold since this EVAP purge valve is normally closed. The checker’s light should be green, since the actuator/solenoid is not energized or has an open circuit. To open the solenoid to see if it works, apply power with a checker’s (light should be red.) The vacuum gauge shows us the solenoid is now open (energized.) If you didn’t have a vacuum pump, you could use a smoke machine. Green on the checker means the EVAP purge solenoid is closed and red means it should be open if the component is good. You can apply power and ground from a checker to test and change the solenoid’s state. When the light is red, we know the actuator/solenoid is activated, allowing vacuum to go through it. Subsequently, purge will be allowed. Testing an EVAP solenoid with it closed. Testing an EVAP solenoid with it open.

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 40 DIAGNOSING SOLENOIDS Most computers can only handle 1.2 amps for 6 milliseconds from a solenoid before burning out a driver or computer. If we measure a solenoid that is pulling more than 1.2 amps, we know that it is shorted. Shorted solenoids can damage the PCM, so it is absolutely necessary to go down the list of solenoids when we suspect that one or more are shorting. Such a list, with the pin out numbers you need, is available on AllData, ProDemand, Identifix, MotorLogic and OE. How do we do this? First, unplug the wiring harness from the computer. Then, select the A (amp) mode on the meter and connect the leads as shown (black to ground and red to the components ground wire) to the right. Be careful, always consult a wiring diagram to prevent damage to the PCM. In the old days, shorts commonly killed computers. This is how you test for them.

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 41 Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems The most common electrical problems that shops run into concern the battery, starter, and alternator. Too often, we replace these parts when there was nothing wrong with them, because we did not diagnose the real cause of the problem. The next few chapters discuss batteries, starters, and alternators—and their associated circuits/systems. Often starter or alternator problems originate with the battery, so that’s where we’ll start. SAFETY INFORMATION • Make sure you have a properly stocked first-aid kit and eyewash available. If you don’t have eyewash, reach for a bottle of water or tap water quickly. Battery acid is dangerous. • Wear safety glasses and gloves when working with batteries. • Don’t smoke cigarettes—they may kill you. No, this is not a Surgeon General warning about lung cancer. Batteries leak flammable gas, and we know of quite a few people who had ignited flames from smoking. • Charging a frozen battery = possible explosion. • When charging a battery, turn off the charger before disconnecting the clamps from the battery terminals. If the charger is still on, there is a possibility of a spark induced fire. How do I use a use a hydrometer or refractometer? The batteries you’ll run into these days won’t require these, so don’t worry. What’s inside a battery? It’s interesting stuff, but it won’t help you fix a car.

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 42 DEALING WITH BATTERY PROBLEMS The N2 Neuron and Curien Hub app has an entire section dedicated to helping you diagnose and test automotive batteries. As with all things in the app, these tests, functions and information are constantly being updated and improved over time. Please reference the Battery Testing section of the Curien Automotive Applications Book for more. The Battery Testing features built into the application are designed to help you in your diagnostic process and provide enough information to determine if the vehicles battery can be the root cause of your electrical issues or if you can continue testing into the systems that are being affected by the current electrical gremlins. The current test feature in the application for the battery systems are: • Surface Discharge • Battery State of Charge • Battery Cranking • Battery Terminals • Battery Cable • Loaded Cable The battery tests on this version of the application are meant for 12V systems, however 24V and 48V systems will be released shortly. As the system tests and training materials increase, they will be updated on the virtual portion of this text.

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 43 DEALING WITH BATTERY PROBLEMS Continued… DIAGNOSING THE BATTERY PROBLEM Visually Inspecting the Battery Look out for the likely culprits and use some common sense! • Corroded or loose battery terminals— Replace with permanent terminals. • Damaged cables—repair or replace. • Missing battery caps. Replace. • Cracked, bloated, or leaking casing. Replace the battery. • Hold downs are damaged, loose, or replaced with a bungee cord. Repair or replace. • Green corrosion covering the temporary cable ends. Replace with permanent cable ends and sand or clean off corrosion. • Clean corrosion with baking soda and water to neutralize the battery acid. *(Note - Do not allow the baking soda solution flow into the battery cells) • Damage to belt or pulley. Fix it. Most of these problems are quick to find and can cause a ton of electrical problems (ex: everything from a slow-cranking starter to a seemingly dead battery.)

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 44 FAIL-SAFE BATTERY TESTING WITH A METER 1. Fail-safe battery testing: The “Rich Test” If you don’t own a computerized battery tester or load tester, this test is great since you only need a meter. The “Rich Test” is my son’s all-time favorite diagnostic trick because it always works (even on batteries with a low state of charge), it is easy to do, and all it uses is the meter I already own. Plus, it does not hurt that it helps him sell more batteries and prevents comebacks. Here’s how we do it: 1. Put your meter on the battery on DC V and using min/max. 2. Start the car and check the minimum voltage. The voltage should not be below 9.6V. 3. Reset your meter and repeat two more times. If the voltage dips below 9.6 V and continues to decline each consecutive test, you definitely have a bad battery. Good batteries will simply have the same minimum voltage while bad batteries will lose their surface charge each consecutive start. An intermittently bad battery that you cannot catch due to temperature or anything else can be caught this way. Even batteries before they go bad can be caught “on their way out” so to say. Much thanks goes to automotive electrical engineer and diagnostician Richie “Shorts” Peterson in New Jersey, who devised this test. Hence its name, the “Richie Test.”

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 45 Testing for Battery Charge Okay, now we have made sure that there are no glaring problems with the battery. What do we do next? Let’s test for the battery’s charge. First, let’s conduct an Open-Circuit Voltage (OCV) test. It is done with our meter on V DC mode, with the red lead on the (+) terminal and the black lead on the (-) terminal. Our meter should show 12.45 (75% of charge) to 12.66 V. If the battery has less than 12.45 V, we definitely need to charge it. If the battery after being charged and cleaned up can’t be brought up to 12.45 to 12.66 V, it is likely an internal battery cell collapsed, and you need to replace the battery. Charging batteries has changed a bit since we now have Glassmat batteries. Glassmat batteries should never be charged over 3.5 amps, unless you are using a special charger, such as the Midtronics GR8. Make sure to use a suitable battery charger. Testing for Battery Charge CONTINUED An OCV Test on a battery

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 46 Second, now that the battery has at least 12.45 V, it is time for a load test. We are doing this because we know the battery pushes out electricity at an ample pressure (voltage), but we do not know if the battery pushes out enough electricity (amps) at that voltage. Using a Volt-Amp Tester (V.A.T.), attach the charging clamps to the appropriate terminals; and put the amp clamp around the ground battery cable. 1. Apply a load equivalent to half the battery’s Cold Cranking Amp (CCA) rating (not Cranking Amps-CA). 2. After exactly 15 seconds, the battery’s voltage should be at least 9.6 V on pre-1996 vehicles and 10.1 V on 1996 and new vehicles at room temperature. You can confirm this reading with your meter. Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) The amount of amps the battery can deliver at 0 degrees F at 7.2 V for 30 seconds. Cranking Amps (CA) The amount of amps the battery can deliver at 32 degrees F at 7.2 V for 30 seconds. Reserve Capacity (RC) The amount of minutes a battery can hold a 25 A draw at a voltage below 10.5 at 80 degrees F. This is good to know when we have high key off battery drain.

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 47 Computerized Battery Testers Using a V.A.T. tester can be tricky sometimes. For example, if a battery is below 12.45 V, the battery might barely fail a load test but pass if it was charged. With computerized battery testers, all we need to do to find out if a battery is good is connect it and follow the directions on the screen. Computerized battery testers can let us know if a battery is good or not, even if the battery is uncharged. If you have one, you don’t need to waste the time charging a bad battery and then testing to see if it works. They are not perfect, but they are better than nothing. Battery Terminal Voltage Drop Test Some voltage drops seem impossible to find. There might be high resistance in the connection itself! Place the leads on separate parts of the connection with loads on. A connection’s resistance should not be higher than 200 mV. Test all circuit connections the same way if need be.

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 48 DEALING WITH BATTERY DRAINS Batteries go dead for several reasons. Sometimes the battery can never be recovered. For example, a battery that fails a load test after being recharged and retested has unfixable internal damage and needs to be replaced. Sometimes, the vehicle’s charging system/alternator is to blame. When these problems are dealt with, then any associated electrical problems, such as undercharge, are fixed. Batteries can go dead from a key-off battery drain called a parasitic draw. However, there are key-off battery drains that are important, like Keep Alive Memory (KAM). How can we tell the difference? Key-Off Battery Drains A Key-Off Battery Drain is anything that uses battery energy when the vehicle is off (ex: leaving the headlights on.) KAM (Keep Alive Memory) is all the learned strategies and data stored in the memory of the vehicle’s on-board computers. It takes a small amount of energy. If we ever disconnect the battery, we’ll kill all the KAM. This means we’ll have do things like relearn the idle which is getting harder on, so do not disconnect the battery unless it is necessary. Constant Voltage Supplied to KAM On-board computers can lose their memory when they lose power.

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 49 Key-Off Battery Drains CONTINUED As discussed before, KAM uses very little energy. In fact, it is measured in milliamps. There are 1,000 mA in an A. Different vehicles have different specifications when it comes to parasitic draw (amount of mA,) so we can’t give you an exact number to look for to see if your Key Off Battery Drain is normal. A good seat of the pants “normal” parasitic draw range is anywhere from 10 to 75 mA in many vehicles. We recommend that you look it up. Some new vehicles can exhibit high readings before all the computers go to sleep. Make sure to always allow time for computers such as security, radio and the BCM (Body Control Module) to power down. You can usually find the time it takes for computers or components to power down in a good service information source such as AllData, ProDemand, Identifix, MotoLogic or OE websites. 2010 Honda Odyssey 3.5L, V6 came in with a complaint of a dead battery. Using a thermal imager led us to the right rear side sliding door motor assembly and the right rear body module that were draining the battery. Using a thermal imager can save time and make you money. Always make sure that the vehicle is cold for best results. Thermal Imager’s are available from FLIR, Fluke, Snap On, LAUNCH and others.

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 50 Measuring Key-Off Battery Drains So, how can we tell if we have a normal Key-Off Battery Drain we can attribute to KAM or if we have a parasitic draw? Here’s the ONLY recommended method for finding out. We need a low-amp clamp/probe. Connect it to your meter in mV mode or scope. Every 1/10th V on the meter’s display equals 1 A (that’s what 100 mV=1 A translates into). Connect the probe around all the negative or positive cables with the clamp totally closed. If you measure more than 75 mV (and therefore 75 mA or .0075 A, they’re both the same thing), it’s time to look for a parasitic draw. Pictured to the right is the Curien Amp Clamp, in my opinion the best amp clamp for parasitic draw. The typical parasitic draw culprits are anything that stays on when it is not supposed to. A glove box or trunk light might be staying on, because its switch is not adjusted properly. There might be a short circuit or a damaged microprocessor consuming energy. The alternator might even be to blame due to a bad diode! Isolate the draw by pulling fuses until your meter hits an acceptable level. If this fails, try disconnecting the alternator. The Voltage Drop method can be used by selecting mV on your meter and perform a voltage drop across the fuse terminals. Above example of a bad parasitic draw

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 51 Measuring Key-Off Battery Drains CONTINUED If there is a parasitic draw the meter will display a voltage drop reading on the meter screen. It’s easy if the fuse has exposed terminals, just place the meter leads on top of the fuse terminals. *NOTE: NOT ALL FUSES HAVE AVAILABLE TERMINALS TO CONNECT TO. Parasitic Draw Testing in Depth The Curien N2 and App dedicated parasitic draw testing built into its standard diagnostic tests. Simply select “PARASITIC DRAW TESTS” and “AMP FINDER”. Measure across the exposed terminals of the fuse. If the meter reads “AMPS FOUND”, select the type and size of the fuse in the “PARASITIC DRAW TESTS” menu. Once the type and size of the fuse is selected, the app will calculate how many Amps are flowing through that circuit. Please reference the Parasitic Draw section of the Curien Automotive Applications Book for more.

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 52 Measuring Parasitic Draws Over a Prolonged Period of Time Often, we have intermittent parasitic draws or there are components that take a while to go to sleep mode, so we’re unsure there is truly a parasitic draw or not. What do we do? With the N2 or a scope and an amp clamp, put them in Graphing or “movie mode” and record the measured voltage (which we convert to amps) over a few hours. Hours later, we might find that parasitic draw is not a problem, as all the electrical components hours later enter sleep mode. We may have just an ordinary a KAM-related key-off battery drain. To the contrary, hours later you might find that there is indeed a persistent parasitic draw. Basic meters are great, but sometimes we simply need the N2 Neuron! Note: Some electric components stay on for up to a few hours before entering sleep mode. This might make your initial Key-Off Battery Drain measurements high. On NVLD (Natural Vacuum Leak Detection) systems the EVAP system can run a test even with the engine off and key out of the vehicle. Always check service information before condemning a component.

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 53 Measuring Key-Off Battery Drains Without an Amp Clamp If we don’t have an amp-clamp, then we need to take our red lead and connect it to the Amps port on our meter and connect a 10 A fuse (attached to an inline fuse holder) in series with it. Then, put our meter into mA/A mode. Disconnect the groundside cable from the negative battery terminal. Lastly, connect the inline fuse jumper (connected in series to the red lead) to ground side cable and the black lead to the negative battery terminal. We will get an accurate key-off battery reading providing there are no sticking relays. This is the most accurate way to check parasitic draws

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 54 Save the KAM From Extinction! Have to disconnect the battery in order to charge it or do a test, but not in the mood to do any reprogramming? We don’t blame you! Get another fully charged battery or one of those jump-starter packs like in the picture and connect it to the feed side of the alternator and an engine ground. If the vehicle has jumpstarting posts, you can connect to those instead and not feel guilty about disconnecting the battery. So, here’s what a proper parasitic draw test should look like: • Fuse connected in series • Meter on A mode. • Jumper pack connected to engine ground and alternator feed side. This is the easiest way to save the KAM without any issues. Battery savers do not always work.

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 55 CHARGING AND JUMP STARTING We’re almost done with our overview of the battery, but first we must cover charging and jumping. CHARGING THE BATTERY 1. Always follow the charger’s instructions and documentation. o This is true of computerized chargers also. 2. Connect the battery to the charger before we turn anything on, so as not to create sparks. o Use lead adapters for batteries with side terminals, they conduct electricity better than steel bolts. 3. When time permits, choose a slow charge for the battery. It works better and increases battery life. 4. Check periodically that the battery isn’t getting too hot (125 degrees F or up). o If it is too hot, turn off the charger immediately. o Let the battery cool. o When the battery is fully cooled, charge at a slower rate. 5. Turn the battery charger off before disconnecting, so as not to create sparks. CHARGING RATES CCA Reserve Capacity Slow Charge Fast Charge 60 70 85 140 165 7 hours @ 6 A 8 hours @ 6 A 9 hours @ 6 A 16 hours @ 6 A 18 hours @ 6 A 1 hours @ 30 A 2 hours @ 30 A 2 hours @ 30 A 3 hours @ 30 A 4 hours @ 30 A 315 CCA 450 CCA 550 CCA 850 CCA 1050 CCA

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 56 JUMPSTARTING A VEHICLE Never jumpstart a vehicle, it can do major damage to radios, other electronic components and on-board computers. A vehicle with a completely dead batter should be towed. But, because we know that you are going to jumpstart a vehicle anyway, we’ll go over proper jumping procedure. Jumpstarting a Regular 12 V System 1. First, connect the jumper to the dead battery’s positive (+) terminal. 2. Take the other side of the jumper and connect it to the jumper battery’s positive (+) terminal. 3. Connect another jumper to the jumper battery’s negative (-) terminal. 4. Connect the other side of the jumper to a good ground, like a clean spot of the engine or the frame where electricity can conduct. 5. Let the running idle 5 to 10 minutes than try to start the dead battery’s engine. 6. Now let the vehicle idle a few minutes. 7. Remove the cables in the opposite order, 4-3-2-1. Notes: • You shouldn’t charge a frozen battery, so don’t jump one either, it may explode. • Clean away any corrosion on the jumper clamps and the battery terminals. • Make sure parking brakes are applied and that the vehicles are not running until you try starting the car with the dead battery. • Cables should not be near blades and belts that can damage them.

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 57 Jumpstarting a Regular 24 V System Some heavy-duty trucks are equipped with a dual battery system, because their starters are so power-hungry. Jumping these systems is a little different: Connect the jumpers just like on the previous pages, 1-2-3-4. Remove them the opposite way, 4-3-2-1. As a side note, never jump a 12 V system with a 24 V one or vice versa. Now that you know how to jump a battery, try not to do it! Charge the Battery or replace it. 1 2 3 4 Can’t find where jump start? Look for one of these jumping terminals. You will have to find your own proper ground.

Diagnosing Today’s Battery Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 58 BATTERY PROBLEMS If you ever find yourself stuck, maybe one of these will help you along the way. • Batteries charge better when warm and worse in cold temperatures, so take this into account when doing a charge. • Batteries that are unused for a long time lose power, because of certain internal chemical processes. That’s why a lot of dead batteries are resurrected by a simple charge. o So, don’t get too stressed out if you cannot find a parasitic draw. Normal Key-Off Battery Drain can slowly kill a battery. Just charge it back up and make sure there are no other problems. • Make sure the battery is clean, because if not dried-on battery acid can create a circuit—sapping the battery of its energy. • If a battery that is new or in seemingly good condition keeps suffering from undercharge, look for a charging system problem with the alternator, associated circuit components, or mechanical issues with belts, pulleys, or etcetera. • Do not disconnect the battery with the engine running—EVER. • Do not use an alternator to charge a battery. It was not built to charge a fully dead battery…a battery charger is! • Just as a reminder, the battery is always powering key-off battery drains. Lack-of-use can kill a battery Batteries are always being drained by KOEO draws.

Diagnosing Today’s Alternator Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 59 Diagnosing Today’s Alternator Problems An alternator (called a “generator” by some) generates electricity for the vehicle’s loads and recharges the battery. Let’s say we get a vehicle in the shop with a low state of charge. The battery passes the load test and there are no obvious parasitic draws. Our eyes should shoot towards the alternator! Diagnosing and repairing alternator problems is not rocket science! Using our knowledge of electricity and adding to that a few things covered here, we can repair one of the most common electrical problems on a vehicle. ALTERNATOR THEORY YOU NEED TO KNOW Theory, though interesting to some of us, is useless for our purposes. We’re not going to get into what the inside of an alternator looks like or how electromagnetism works. Who cares? However, there are certain theoretical things regarding how the system as a whole works, we need to know, so we know how to go about our diagnostics. We will only cover these, we promise. You are on a need-to-know basis AND you need to know! “We’re just not right for each other” … …is what the charging system might be saying to the battery. You see, charging systems have a soul mate, either a lead- acid, or an AGM/ glassmat battery. They are designed to work with a certain kind of battery. If you have the wrong one, you might have overcharge and undercharge issues. If you didn’t replace a glassmat with another glassmat, the vehicle may have a light illuminated on the dashboard. Some new vehicles even need the battery initialized/registered or programmed so the computer can select the correct charge rate.

Diagnosing Today’s Alternator Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 60 CHARGING SYSTEM MODES OF OPERATION 1. Starting the engine: Obviously, the battery and the starter do this. So, if there is a no start and your computerized battery tester shows that the battery is good, look at the starter circuit. The alternator is not to blame here! 2. Idling with electrical loads: Once the engine is running, the alternator ideally is doing two things: charging the battery and powering all the electrical things the car needs. However, there is a limit to this. If you have the radio pumping, wipers going, rear defroster energized, air conditioning running, and the heated seats on even a good alternator cannot handle this. So, it will switch over to just charging the battery, and letting the battery power everything else.

Diagnosing Today’s Alternator Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 61 Why is this important? If a good battery dies when the alternator should have been stepping up to the plate, it is possible that no component is to blame. Especially on newer cars, the charging system is not built to sustain prolonged idling because eventually the battery will die. However, if excessive loads are not to blame and the battery is good, we know the charging system is to blame. We’ll get into later what to look for, just know that we have to look for an alternator-related problem. 3. Cruise: At sufficient cruising speed the alternator can charge both the battery and power all the loads in the vehicle. So, if a customer comes in with a dead battery and he does a lot of highway driving, suspect belt slippage or improper belt tensioning.

Diagnosing Today’s Alternator Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 62 Diagnosing Today’s Alternator Problems The N2 Neuron and Curien Hub app has an entire section dedicated to helping you diagnose and test automotive charging systems. As with all things in the app, these tests, functions and information are constantly being updated and improved over time. Please reference the Charging Systems section of the Curien Automotive Applications Book for more. The charging systems testing features built into the application are designed to help you in your diagnostic process and provide enough information to determine if the vehicles charging system can be the root cause of your electrical issues or if you can continue testing into the systems that are being affected by the current electrical gremlins. Although the current tests are related to voltage drop, soon there will be updates that include amperage draw and the use of amp clamps as well. These tests only require the voltmeter on the N2 Neuron. The current test feature in the application for the battery systems are: • Alternator Voltage • Alternator Feeds The alternator tests are currently only looking for voltage drop across the power feed cable or the ground. As the system tests and training materials increase, they will be updated on the virtual portion of this text.

Diagnosing Today’s Alternator Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 63 THE CHARGING CIRCUIT • The Alternator B+ Wire connects between the positive battery terminal and the feed side of the alternator. • The alternator is grounded to the engine block. • Electricity travels through the engine block to the engine ground. Engines are conductors of electricity! • The engine ground is connected to the negative battery terminal via a battery cable. o If the negative battery cable is too thin, electricity will run into resistance. This is like how a two-lane highway having more traffic than a three-lane highway. So, negative battery cable affects the performance of not only the charging system, but every other electrical circuit. So, make sure it is large enough, its connections are good, and it is undamaged. Alternator B+ Wire Engine Ground Note: Aftermarket electronics, like stereos, lights, PDAs, cell phones and televisions can overload the charging system. An OEM charging system was built only to handle the loads the vehicle originally had. Always check to see if aftermarket equipment is robbing too much energy, causing charging system performance problems. This is why the likely culprits can be the real cause of a charging system problem. The OEM alternator is made to take on an exact amount of loads. Once corrosion, loose or damaged wires, or bad grounds start creating excess resistance in the circuit; charging system operation is impeded. The charging system circuit

Diagnosing Today’s Alternator Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 64 ALTERNATORS GENERATE ALTERNATING CURRENT Gee, I wonder where the alternator got its name? It generates AC voltage, looks like a positive and negative wave on a scope before the internal diodes clean up the signal. After the rectifier the DC V are sent to power vehicle loads and charge the battery. 1. The alternator produces AC V. 2. AC V is converted to DC V be the alternator’s internal rectifiers. 3. DC V is sent to vehicle loads and the battery. On a scope, you will see AC ripple because rectification is not 100%.

Diagnosing Today’s Alternator Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 65 TESTING THE CHARGING SYSTEM UNDERSTANDING ALTERNATING CURRENT’S ROLE Leaking AC Voltage Okay, so why do we care about AC current, rectifiers, and loads and batteries needing DC volts? No useless theory, we promise! A common charging system problem is leaking AC voltage. We should be getting DC current (a nice and relatively flat line on your scope, if you look really close you will see the AC ripple) being sent to every vehicle load. Only a few components (alternator, crank sensors, cam sensors, and ABS sensors) are measured using the AC V mode. All of their AC voltage is rectified one way or another. Good Alternator: -Ripple small -AC V less than 500 mV -AC V positive Bad Alternator: -Ripple large -AC V more than 500 mV -AC V hits below 0 V However, if the diodes are compromised, you will measure DC voltage with excessive AC ripple—to the point where it can damage the electrical system, including computers. So, if you see the signature of AC V on your scope higher than normal (500 mv AC), suspect diode rectification problems. Because the diodes are internal, replace the alternator. Waveform of excessive AC ripple

Diagnosing Today’s Alternator Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 66 Testing AC Charging Voltage We can use a meter to help us diagnose whether or not the alternator releases excess AC voltage. First, we need the engine running. Put the meter on mV AC mode, putting the black lead on a clean or newly scratched part of the alternator frame as the ground and the red lead on the feed side of the alternator. Our reading should be no more than 500 mV AC. In the real world, you will probably be testing off of the battery terminals rather than at the alternator looking for about 300 mV max. Many alternators/generators are in an area that makes it difficult to reach and attach the leads to. If we have more than 500 mv AC, we have excess AC voltage leaking into our charging current, potentially causing damage to DC components/ loads. However, the beauty of having a scope is that we can detect problems with an alternator that the meter won’t show us. The meter only displays the average voltage. With a scope we can detect voltage spikes, dropouts, and other irregularities that will affect charging system performance. AC voltage leaving the alternator is AC ripple, and it should look uniform without sudden spikes or dropouts. Here we can see that the scope is connected just like a meter.

Diagnosing Today’s Alternator Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 67 Testing AC Charging Voltage CONTINUED Once again bad waveforms show irregularities, such as sudden dropouts and spikes. As we can see below, this alternator’s scope reading isn’t uniform. We should suspect a problem with the alternator’s rectifiers. This alternator needs to be replaced! Testing AC mV from the alternator is not always convenient, but it is the most accurate charging system test. You can do the same test with your scope’s leads on the battery terminals, and you will be able to detect if there is excessive AC ripple or voltage dropouts emanating from the alternator. However, this test is just not as accurate as testing from the alternator itself. Drop out Drop out Note: Do you see the irregularities in the above waveform? This AC voltage is then distributed to all the vehicle’s sensors, outputs and computers. Remember that AC voltage rides over DC voltage, and too much AC voltage can wreak havoc on the vehicle electrical system. Even though there are no voltage or time settings on the scope it’s easy to see a bad diode by the drop out.

Diagnosing Today’s Alternator Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 68 WHEN IT’S NOT THE ALTERNATOR… …it’s one of these problems (likely culprits) that are to blame. Be familiar with them, it well help us guide our diagnosis when we perform an array of alternator tests and related voltage drops checks. 1 and 2. Problem: Corroded/loose battery terminal/connection • Solution: Clean with wire brush, install permanent cable ends 3 and 8. Problem: Corroded/undersized/damaged cable/wire • Solution: Install a new/thicker cable/wire 4 and 7. Problem: Corroded/loose feed-side alternator (or engine ground) eyelet • Solution: Clean with wire brush/replace with new star washer 5. Problem: Cracked/loose/misaligned/slipping serpentine belt • Solution: Replace and properly align new serpentine belt • A fraction of an inch misalignment can cause charging problems 6. Problem: Alternator not grounded properly • Solution: Replace external ground wire or clean contacts 9. Defective battery • Solution: Assuming no other charging system problems, replace it.

Diagnosing Today’s Alternator Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 69 Reminder Concerning Voltage Drops Before we get into our charging system tests, we must visualize in our minds what our electrical enemy is. We’re speaking of internal resistance, aka "VD" (voltage drops). Whenever we have dim bulbs, underpowered motors, battery undercharges (and sometimes overcharges) we almost always have a voltage drop on our hands. Don’t replace an alternator, battery, starter or anything else unless we know for a fact that poor conduction due to loose connections and the like ARE NOT to blame! Remember, the likely culprits are always in the midst, causing charging and other system electrical problems!

Diagnosing Today’s Alternator Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 70 GO-TO CHARGING SYSTEM TESTS The following is a fairly good array of tests we can do with just a meter. We can diagnose 90 percent of your charging system issues. Step 1: Open Circuit Voltage (OCV) Test The OCV test will let us know right away if we are dealing with a good battery (it is more thorough to confirm this with a load test or a computerized battery tester). A reading of 12.45 to 12.66 V is good. Step 2: Testing the Alternator with No Loads Start the engine, let it warm up a bit and then turn it off. Restart the engine and let it run at about 1,500 RPM with no additional loads (ex: radio, lights, etcetera). Have the meter’s leads on the battery. The charging system should bring up battery voltage on our meter between 13.8 to 14.7 V, sometime higher on newer vehicles. Some vehicles are different, so look up the specified charging voltage if we have different numbers. If the vehicle is not between these voltages, there is a voltage drop or alternator problem! Step 3: Testing the Alternator with Additional Loads With the engine at 1500 RPM turn on as many loads as possible (A/C, radio, lights, etc.). A good charging system should measure 13.5 V. If voltage dips below 13.1 volts or to a very high voltage number, we have a charging system issue. Check for voltages drops, serpentine belt tension, and etc.

Diagnosing Today’s Alternator Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 71 GO-TO CHARGING SYSTEM TESTS CONTINUED Step 4: Testing the Alternator in City-Driving Conditions Bring the engine to idle and keep all the accessory loads on. Put the vehicle into Drive and repeatedly apply the brakes. Voltage should fall, even as low as 12.66 V. But a charging system that stays above 13.1 V during this is good. If voltage falls below 12.66, the alternator is not running efficiently enough during these conditions. City drivers without optimal charging systems can thus run into dead batteries after a while. Now, we need to move on to what may be hindering charging system performance. Step 5: Testing for Alternator Over Charge Turn off all those additional loads and with the transmission in Neutral raise the RPMs to 2,000. You should be measuring between 13.8 to about 17 V on some manufacturers. If voltage is higher or above referenced specifications, you have a voltage drop you need to diagnose. Step 6: Check Feed-Side Battery Current We’ll need an amp probe that has large jaws for this test. On the feed-side battery cable, apply the amp probe. Make sure the amp clamp jaws are cleaned and fully closed around the cable. Always check the 9-volt battery in the amp clamp since they tend to go bad. The clamp may seem to work with 7 volts, but the reading will not be accurate. Amps should be high when we first start the engine, but after a few minutes below or equal to 10 amps with the engine idling and no additional accessory loads. More than 10 amps means the battery has high internal resistance and is to blame. Test the battery and if need be, replace it.

Diagnosing Today’s Alternator Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 72 ALTERNATOR VOLTAGE DROP TESTS Alternator Feed-Side Voltage Drop Test Put your leads in between the feed side of the alternator stud and the positive battery terminal. Measuring from anywhere else (like the cable connection to the battery instead of the battery terminal itself) will affect your readings. You should have a reading of 200 mV DC max. Some GMs permit as high as 500 mV for warranty reasons, but if you have a charging problem AND a voltage drop on the feed-side, check the cable and connections for the likely culprits. Alternator Ground Side Voltage Drop Test Put your leads on a scratched-off part of the alternator frame and the negative battery terminal. Measuring from anywhere else (like the cable connection to the battery instead of the battery terminal itself) will affect your readings. We should have a reading of 200 mV DC max.

Diagnosing Today’s Starter Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 73 Diagnosing Today’s Starter Problems Have you ever run into a no-start, replaced the starter, and the new starter didn’t work either? Chances are that you did not diagnose a problem with the starter’s circuit or a battery problem. So, don’t work hard—work smart! STARTER THEORY YOU NEED TO KNOW More theory?!? We hope we have earned your trust by now. You know we will only give you the theory you need. THE PROPERLY WORKING STARTER Proper Starting Current With a high current amp clamp around battery cable, we can test the starter by engaging it for approximately 30 seconds. After a quick peak current of 600-700 A, starter current draw should settle between 90 to 175 A for four/six-cylinder engines, 100 to 175 A for below 300 CID engines, and 150 to 200 A for above 300 CID engines. • Let the starter cool for a few minutes after the test. • If OCV test shows voltage below 10 V, look for a battery problem.

Diagnosing Today’s Starter Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 74 Proper Starter Current CONTINUED As you well know if you ever started up your car on a winter morning, starters are tested during cold weather. Any excess internal resistance in the starting circuit or weakness in the battery can make a no-start problem in cold weather. As we can see in the picture to the right, the colder it gets, the more amps (current) the starter needs to combat the increased mechanical resistance of a cold engine and the less available current available from the battery. No wonder in Alaska they plug in battery heaters wherever they park during the winter. Just as cold weather creates electrical and mechanical resistance that compromises optimal starter operation, anything that increases resistance in the starter’s circuit or causes the starter to work harder will cause problems we can measure. What should we look for? High Amps Low Battery Voltage High Battery Voltage Low Amps Oil viscosity out of spec. Engine or starter binding Battery S.O.C. low Undersized battery Accessory loads engaged Advanced ignition timing High starter circuit resistance Retarded valve timing Low compression

Diagnosing Today’s Starter Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 75 Diagnosing Today’s Starter Problems The N2 Neuron and Curien Hub app has an entire section dedicated to helping you diagnose and test automotive starting systems. As with all things in the app, these tests, functions and information are constantly being updated and improved over time. Please reference the Starter System section of the Curien Automotive Applications Book for more. The starter system test is designed to help you diagnose and identify the health status of the physical components and circuits of the starter system. With the starter system tests you can determine if these components are operating within the manufacturers specification or the cause of failure. These tests will require either the voltmeter or the ohmmeter. The current test feature in the application for the Starter system are: • Starter Solenoid • Starter Circuit • Solenoid Switches Although these tests are what is present today, the list of component types is growing and will continue to be updated. Amperage readings will be included in the next set of updates on these tests and as the system tests and training materials increase, they will be updated on the virtual portion of this text.

Diagnosing Today’s Starter Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 76 Starting System Components By now, we are getting familiar with voltage drop tests. We know the basics. Check voltage running down the circuit, make sure the battery is good, check voltage drops at terminals and connections, and etcetera. The Control Circuit When we turn the key and we don’t hear anything (no clicks), that means power is not making it to the solenoid. This is one of many starter system problems that originate with the Control Circuit (seen here in RED +). If we suspect the Control (and not the High Current Motor in BLUE -) Circuit is to blame, here’s a quick way to confirm it using a remote starter switch tool. Install the remote starter between feed side of the solenoid and the positive (+) battery terminal. If the starter works when the switch is on, we definitely have a Control Circuit problem. If it doesn’t work, now add a jumper between the negative (-) battery terminal and on the starter frame. If it works now, your ground side battery cable needs to be replaced (or ground contacts on the starter need to be improved.)

Diagnosing Today’s Starter Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 77 Before we can start diagnosing starter circuit problems, we need to know what is in a starter circuit and what it looks like. This way, we will know where to focus our diagnosis. 1. Fusible Link: Power from the battery runs through this fuse. If the A are too high the internal fuse will blow. Note: Oversized replacement links can cause this fuse to blow. 2. Ignition Switch: Completes the starter circuit when you turn the key. 3. Neutral Safety Switch: Only allows the switch to close the circuit when the vehicle is NOT in gear. Otherwise, it leaves the switch on OFF. It is located either on the transmission or in the gear selector mechanism. 4. Relay: There may or may not be a relay after the Neutral Safety Switch. A relay is an electrically operated switch. 5. Solenoid: Acts as a switch to turn on the starter motor. Because starters require as much as several hundred amps when they are engaged, a regular switch or relay can’t handle this sort of energy. So, we need a whole circuit (1 through 5) merely to operate the solenoid so that another circuit (5, 6, and the battery) can work. Note: Control Circuit’s (1 to 5) voltage drop at the solenoid should be less than 500 mV. Otherwise, the likely culprits are to blame. 2 3 1 4 5 6

Diagnosing Today’s Starter Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 78 Testing the Starter System – BOLO (Be On The Lookout) When it’s not your starter and it’s not the fly wheel, it’s one of these. Always look out for the likely culprits to be causing our starter problem. 1 and 2. Problem: Corroded/loose battery terminal/connection • Solution: Clean with wire brush, install permanent cable ends 3 and 7. Problem: Undersized/damaged cable/wire • Solution: Install a new/thicker cable/wire 4 and 6. Problem: Corroded/loose feed-side solenoid (or engine ground) eyelet • Solution: Clean with wire brush/replace with new star washer 5. Problem: Defective starter • Solution: Check connections and ground. If there isn’t a significant voltage drop at the ground and the rest of the circuit it good, replace. Note: Modern vehicles may have no starts if the engine cranks too slowly. This is because the crank sensor voltage level may be too low, preventing a strong enough signal. Tip: Look at a good cranking engine’s RPM PID on scan data to check out the typical values from compared to a slow cranking engine.

Diagnosing Today’s Starter Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 79 Always Check the Dashboard! First, check the dashboard for any clues. If, when trying to crank the starter, nothing at all happens AND the dash lights do not dim, try the following: Bypass the control circuit entirely by jumping between the positive battery terminal and the starter solenoid. Work your way up the circuit from the solenoid to pinpoint the problem. If everything looks normal when you turn the key, but when you try to crank the engine and everything goes dead, you almost definitely have high resistance between the battery terminals and the cable ends. Clean and fix the connections, make sure the battery is good, and you should be good to go.

Diagnosing Today’s Starter Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 80 THE HIGH CURRENT MOTOR CIRCUIT Let’s say we try to crank the engine and we hear the solenoid click, but the starter doesn’t turn. We would know that the solenoid is activating, and the starter should run, assuming the High Current Motor Circuit is good. However, something is wrong. Here’s what we should look for. Ground and Feed Side Voltage Drop Tests When we put our leads between the negative battery terminal and the starter ground, our reading should be no more than 100 mV. When we put your leads between the positive battery terminal and the feed side of the solenoid should be no more than 200 mV. One common problem area is the feed-side starter lug itself (where the battery’s feed - side cable connects to the Solenoid, as we see here). Repairing the connection will often solve our problem. Always make sure connections are good, wires and cables are intact, and etcetera. 0.100 V 0.200 V

Diagnosing Today’s Starter Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 81 High Internal Starter Resistance Sometimes, high internal resistance in the starter is causing a no-start. To test this, do a simple voltage drop test. On mV DC mode with your meter, put your red lead on the positive starter post and your black lead on the starter itself. Scratch yourself a good connection if need be. A Powered Component Checker that is connected to the (+) and (-) side of the battery is the best way to do this test under a vehicle. Connect the meter leads to the Powered Component Checker’s (+) and (-) and start testing for a voltage drop, knowing that you have a good ground and power supply. Voltage Drop test need to be performed while the load is on in the circuit being test, in this case the starter needs to be engaged. We shouldn’t have a reading above 200 mV. If it is, check the connections and the ground. Otherwise, assume there are internal mechanical issues.

Diagnosing Today’s Starter Problems ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 82 Final Note As a hippy might say, “We’re all connected. You, me, everything.” The same applies to electricity. Always check connections that they are tight and clean, the integrity of wires, areas where internal resistance (voltage drops) are inhibiting the ability of the circuit to work. A lot of small little problems can become a big problem! Plus, now you know how the battery, charging, and starting systems work; you can see how they are all interconnected. That’s another hippy word! You see, if the alternator is experiencing a voltage drop on the ground side because corrosion and dirt, the alternator will underperform leading to a lower battery state of charge, and this weak battery (already on its last legs) now cannot put enough power through the High Current Motor Circuit. So, diagnosing issues on one system can fix another. Diagnosing Bad Sensors with Your Scope and Meter You connect your scan tool and get a P0120, indicating a bad TP sensor. Replace it, right? Wrong. With sensors, often there are electrical problems to blame instead of the actual component. Sensors, like the TPS, have three wires: a 5V wire that supplies the sensor with its electricity, a signal wire that sends coded voltage signals to the PCM to communicate things like throttle position, and a ground wire. If the 5V wire has low voltage or the voltage drop isn’t below 100 mV, you need to check for problems with the sensor’s circuit. If these are good and the signal voltage doesn’t meet specifications, then we confirmed the sensor itself is bad.

Labscope Waveform Diagnostics ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 83 Labscope Waveform Diagnostics As you have seen to this point, the N2 Neuron is one of the most capable meters available today, where the N2 also excels is in the graphing of waveforms and other signals making the N2 the perfect tool in between a basic meter and labscope. Unlike basic meters and even basic graphing meters where you can graph a voltage that has an RMS calculation on it, a resistance value or amperage value, you can capture true waveforms with the N2 Neuron by shutting off those calculations when you enable the “Waveform” feature in the graphing mode. As you can see in the below image to the left, we have a 2016 Jeep compass 2.4L camshaft being measured by the N2. We are able to see clearly top dead center mark of the crankshaft and its position using the waveform function within (Image courtesy of Marcus Johnson). Also, On the images to the right we can see a fuel injector waveform from a 2021 Jeep renegade clearly shown on the graphing function of the N2 Neuron using the waveform function (Image courtesy of Marcus Johnson)

Labscope Waveform Diagnostics ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 84 Labscope Waveform Diagnostics If you know how to use a meter, you will know how to use a scope. You connect it to a vehicle the same exact way, and it will show you the same exact voltage numbers that a meter shows you! As we can see here, a labscope displays the same readings as a meter, but it displays the readings differently.

Labscope Waveform Diagnostics ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 85 UNDERSTANDING THE NATURE OF A WAVEFORM But the numbers look different! That’s right, we’ve seen this before. The numbers are shown pictorially in a graph, just like a stock ticker. Here’s a pictorial representation of the price of gold: What was gold worth in February? $900, right? In June? $950. We already know this stuff, none of it is new! A scope is exactly the same, we just have to think a little differently about it! Let’s stay with the gold example for a little longer, we think harder when money is involved. Why can’t you read the following graph? We can see a stock ticker, but it is hard read. Why? Because our measurement of dollars on the left does not go high enough or low enough to show us all the data. $1000 $950 $900 $850 Jan Feb Mar Apr May June Jan Feb Mar Apr May June $900

Labscope Waveform Diagnostics ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 86 Understanding the Nature of a Waveform CONTINUED Take a look at this graph of gold’s price. Why is it hard to read? Obviously, the graph does not show us January, February, May, and June. We want a graph to show us all the information we need. What makes up a good graph is not that tricky, and this concept is the ONLY tricky thing about a scope. If you understand how to use a meter and read a stock ticker, you can use a scope! Instead of money on the left, you see voltage, and instead of months on the bottom there’s seconds. Look at the picture above and on page 78. If you had voltage that stayed 12.66 V, because it is DC V all you will get is a straight line starting at 12.66 on the graph. DC V can rise up and down over time like a stock ticker, BUT it is always positive. Alternating Current (AC), well, alternates! More specifically it alternates between positive and negative voltage. Imagine the stock ticker going below zero dollars, but then going back up! You will see this on a scope when looking at the alternator, and crank, cam, knock, speed, and ABS sensors. $1000 $950 $900 $850 Mar Apr

Labscope Waveform Diagnostics ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 87 Using a Labscope on a Vehicle Like we said before, we connect a scope’s leads just like a meter. We put our ground lead on any good ground and our channel probes on signal wires or the feed side of certain components. Above is the Snap-On Modis labscope and it has a fairly typical screen. While voltage and time per division change the height and length of a waveform, the time and voltage per screen will affect how big the waveform looks on the screen. The best ground to connect your Labscope to is the battery ground. Note: Electrical interference, especially from spark plug wires, will mess up our readings. Keep unshielded test leads away from sources of electrical interference or buy shielded cables and not worry about it!

Labscope Waveform Diagnostics ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 88 Using Trigger Triggering is another important part of using a scope. With trigger, we aim where we want our waveform to be located on the screen, click trigger, and put the waveform there. ALWAYS PUT TRIGGER AT A VOLTAGE HALFWAY BETWEEN 0 V AND THE HIGHEST EXPECTED VOLTAGE. Now we can put the waveform exactly where we want. We will get into more detail on the next page. Let’s not reinvent the wheel. Using trigger is just like using an engine analyzer. With an engine analyzer, we put one clamp around the coil wire and the other clamp around the number one spark plug wire. The latter clamp around the number one spark plug wire, the moment it senses voltage, triggers the readings from the coil wire in the correct cylinder order so our waveform makes sense. Trigger looks like a crosshair on the scope. Moving the crosshair left or right moves the waveform left or right. Moving the crosshair up and down moves the waveform up and down. Positive slope is when we trigger on the signal with the voltage rising. Negative slope is when we trigger on the signal with the voltage falling.

Labscope Waveform Diagnostics ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 89 Why Can’t I Just Use My Meter? In some cases, we need to be able to see things graphically and not just as a number. For example, if we were trying to see if we had intermittent voltage drop-offs, we might not catch that on a meter, but it would be impossible to miss with a scope. Also, if we were measuring for a parasitic draw, but had to wait for certain components to go onto sleep mode, a scope on recording-mode is a real help. We’d be able to confirm when certain components de-energized as the reading declines. In other cases, meters don’t measure quick enough to give us the whole story. For example, certain speed sensor signals are electrical pulses that are called “square waves.” In the example to the right, we can see how a sensor shows the computer how many RPMs it is spinning by showing DC voltage movement in a wave: 0 V to 5 V back to 0 V. If the sensor had issues, you might see a gap where a wave should have been. Now we’d know to replace the sensor. However, with a meter, we can only guess. It only shows the average between 0 V and 5 V.

Labscope Waveform Diagnostics ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 90 Coupling Most scopes have a switch or button that’s allows us to choose what to look at like a meter: AC V, DC V, and Ground. AC Coupling blocks the DC component of the signal and allows only AC current to be displayed. The scope is AC coupled when a capacitor is placed in series between the signal and input channel. DC Coupling makes a direct connection to the circuit under test. It displays both DC and AC components of the sampled signal. Ground Coupling connects the channel vertical input to a ground reference. It does not ground an incoming signal, only the scope vertical control. Ground coupling is commonly used to disconnect the channel from both AC and DC to temporarily adjust the ground level on the scope screen. Keep it simple. Choose the cables for the kind of V you are measuring.

Labscope Waveform Diagnostics ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 91 Auto Setup Auto Setup helps us get a waveform to fit on the screen automatically, when we are not sure what to look for. It will automatically choose the right time and voltage settings when you press the button. Because computers aren’t as smart as we are, it might not be 100 percent right. It might be too zoomed in or out. Luckily, it isn’t hard to adjust the settings to our liking. If you screw up, just click auto setup again and start over. Furthermore, some scopes have preprogrammed time and voltage settings for common circuits and sensors. When we master using the scope, we will know what to look for and how to adjust it. Ninety percent of the time the preprogrammed setups are all we need for one channel scoping. However, in the real world some situations require us to adjust the scope settings according to how many signals we need to display on the scope. For example, you may want to view crankshaft and camshaft sensors, primary ignition, and a fuel injector to see why the engine is cutting out. The information is only useful if you know how to the set the scope up and which waveform to trigger off of. Remember, the lower the voltage and time the larger the waveform.

Labscope Waveform Diagnostics ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 92 Using More Than One Channel In the real world, we are going to have to look at how more than one sensor works at once, to confirm our diagnostics. Why would we want to do this? For example, we might want to compare sensor signals to engine response, as is the case with the TPS and MAP sensors. By looking at one sensor, we can confirm whether one sensor is good and if another is failing. To the right, we can see that the TPS and MAP sensors are good, as both rise and fall with open and closed throttle. If one waveform failed to do this, we’d suspect there’s something wrong with its sensor, right? In order to connect another channel, on a scope that has more than two channels, simply connect another lead and bring it to the signal wire of the sensor or actuator we want to check out. On the ATS EScope’s you have to select the channel for On or Off. That’s it! Some scopes such as PICO, Snap On’s ZEUS or older Modis have 4 channels with one time base, while the EScope has four or eight channels and two-time bases. Another time base might allow us to see a waveform that otherwise might not be viewable at the same time. For example, with two time bases you can view an injector (2 mS) and the oxygen sensor (200 mS) waveforms at the same time.

Labscope Waveform Diagnostics ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 93 Note Before We Get Started In the previous pages we covered scope basics. Now, we are ready to get into how to use the scope to diagnose common vehicle problems. We cannot cover everything, but if you want some more in-depth information check out my book Getting to Know the Automotive Labscope’s summary in the back of this book. However, if you haven’t used a scope before, we’re going to get you started. If you already have, we’ll teach you a few new tricks. Always make sure you checked the basics with your meter, like voltage drops, before blaming a component because of its waveform. Note: Electrical interference, especially from spark plug wires, will mess up our readings. Keep unshielded test leads away from sources of electrical interference or buy shielded cables and not worry about it!

Labscope Waveform Diagnostics ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 94 INTRODUCTION TO LABSCOPE WAVEFORM DIAGNOSTICS Now, we are ready to get into how to use the scope to diagnose common vehicle problems. Remember, if we are looking for waveform’s sensors, connect to the signal wire with the scope’s probe connected to Channel 1, Channel 2, and etcetera. Always make sure you checked the basics with your meter, like scope ground, signal wire connection and voltage drops, before blaming a component because of its waveform. QUICK TIP: WAVEFORMS TYPICALLY LOOK UNIFORM Reading a waveform is simple. Waveforms should look uniform, have an even amount of space between them, and look the same amongst common components. Use waveform libraries available online to compare your waveform to known good ones. Use the following graphic as an example: To diagnose vehicles using waveforms, simply play the comparison game comparing a waveform against a known good one.

Labscope Waveform Diagnostics ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 95 AC WAVEFORMS On these sensors you will need to use AC coupling. SPEED SENSOR WAVEFORMS Suspecting a faulty crank, cam, ABS, or vehicle speed sensor? Then set your scope to AC and the Zero line to the middle of the screen so you can view the positive and negative waveform. It’s very easy. AC sensors’ waveforms increase in frequency and height (amplitude) with an increase in speed and vice versa. Each wave should be about the same height. If there is a sudden gap in a speed sensor waveform, the sensor’s number one reference like we see to the right, the sensor is broken and needs to be replaced. The scope waveform to the right is a capture of a good CKP signal. Always confirm your diagnosis with a scope instead of simply swapping parts. It’s quicker and cheaper!

Labscope Waveform Diagnostics ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 96 ABS Speed Sensors ABS speed sensors follow the principles we covered on the previous page. As we can see to the left on the EScope, ABS speed sensor waveforms can change height, width, and frequency. We know that we need to test the ABS speed sensor when we have the false braking system activation or a DTC. If the DTC is set by a history-related fault, suspect an intermittent wiring harness fault. We measure waveforms from these sensors by putting a T-pin into the signal wire weather pack connect being careful not to damage it and connecting our scope to it. The sensor itself is located in the sealed wheel bearing hub assembly in new cars. Some others can be found in the CV joint housing, axle, or hub. Keep an eye out for uneven, irregular waveforms. These indicate a sensor-related fault. If you replaced an axle, make sure to count the teeth on the tone wheel so a false DTC is not set. Above are waveforms that reflect the before and after a 1998 Lincoln Town Car’s rear axles were replaced. The replacement axles had trigger wheels 0.06 inches larger, increasing the amplitude of the waveforms. So, there’s nothing wrong with the sensor, the problem was the axle, we fixed this vehicle by replacing the defective axle and deleted the code. Old Rear Axle New Rear Axle

Labscope Waveform Diagnostics ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 97 ABS Speed Sensors CONTINUED Now when we check any sensor the integrity of its wires, connections and associated corrosion or debris can inhibit sensor operation. So can other obvious factors. This applies to other sensors, especially AC sensors, that you deal with. ABS speed sensors often run into problems that will dramatically affect their signal output (and thus cause the PCM to issue false commands) when they have excess wiring resistance. Often this causes intermittent problems. One possible cause of this is water intrusion in the sensor connector or sensor itself. If this is the case, a faulty seal may be to blame. Another possible cause is that the air gap between the ABS speed sensor and the tone ring is incorrect. If it’s too close the two components can damage each other or increase the signal voltage. If too far away, you may have an erratic, weak, or non-existent signal. Look for this on your scope! An improper air gap can be caused by a bad installation, loose wheel bearing, car accident, and tone ring damage. You will have to adjust the sensor or replace the damaged components to fix the problem. TIP: From a GM SI Bulletin: An incorrect ABS sensor signal may be caused by rust that moves the sensor away from the wheel bearing’s internal tone ring. Symptom will be ABS activation at approximately 4 mph. ABS speed sensor on the EScope.

Labscope Waveform Diagnostics ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 98 CRANK (CKP)/VARIABLE RELUCTOR SENSOR WAVEFORMS The engine needs a CKP sensor to start or run, so its output has a profound effect on drivability. All it does is measure crankshaft revolution. Generally, there are many waves per crankshaft revolution, and it looks and works like an ABS speed sensor, as do all sensors we measure with AC coupling besides the knock sensor. If a wave is not uniform with the other waves at the same exact interval, we know that the reluctor or flex plate is damaged. A good waveform should look like the right, with the long wave indicating to the PCM Top Dead Center. The waveform can also be affected by air gap, debris, and poor connection that may lead to a voltage drop. Examples of a Bad and Good AC waveform: Bad Good A good CKP waveform. 200 mV / 200 mS

Labscope Waveform Diagnostics ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 99 KNOCK SENSORS The knock sensor is mounted right on the engine intake manifold or block, and it measures engine vibration. When you connect to it, you want to see a strong signal. Weak signals indicate the sensor is improperly mounted, its wiring harness has issues, or needs to be replaced. The voltage signal on the screen to the right is too low and weak, causing a Subaru to emit high NOx on an emission dyno test. The new sensor fixed the problem, eliminating the engine ping and helping the vehicle pass the emissions test. GOOD BAD

Labscope Waveform Diagnostics ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 100 DC WAVEFORMS On these sensors you will need to use DC coupling. HALL EFFECT SENSORS Hall Effect sensors are sometimes confused as AC waveform sensors because they often provide cam, crank, and even ABS signals. Furthermore, they use a shutter wheel that produces square waves, which is sometimes similar to that of an AC crank sensor signal. Take note of the bad and good waveform from a Jeep 4.0L crankshaft and camshaft sensors below. The crankshaft signal is in blue (lower) and the camshaft is in red (upper). The four notches in the flex plate make and break the Hall Effect sensor thus allowing the waveform seen above. Look at the flex plate (right picture and arrow). The reason why the one top right is GOOD is that the 3 sets of 4 square waveforms are in the middle along with each side. You can check the ignition timing, timing chain, belt, gear using this set up and this signal. BAD GOOD

Labscope Waveform Diagnostics ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 101 PUSLE WIDTH MODULATED DC WAVEFORMS Pulse width modulated waveforms show us two things. The length of the electricity-related event is the pulse-width. On injectors especially, but with any solenoid (ignition, spark-timing circuits, EGR, purge, turbo boost, and IACs) the same applies. Furthermore, you typically see the voltage dropping to near ground for the length of the mechanical (in this case the fuel delivery) on-time event. Keep this in mind when we analyze these waveforms. FUEL INJECTOR WAVEFORMS Conventional or Saturated Injectors This waveform is useful to us when we want to measure pulse width and fuel injector on-time. If we have a conventional injector that displays a glitch, we have to be careful not to confuse a good injector (pictured above, top from a Toyota) with a bad one. If the waveform displays a glitch, make sure that it is not a normal function of the injector you are testing. It’s a good idea to collect waveforms and store them so you can compare a good one from a bad one. PULSE WIDTH FUEL INJECTOR ON-TIME Toyota Injector GOOD 10 V DC / 2mS 10 V DC / 500 uS

Labscope Waveform Diagnostics ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 102 Peak and Hold Injectors Don’t let the fact that peak and hold injectors look different from conventional ones confuse you. The “Peak” starts the injector on-time until the Hold (second peak); this is where pulse width is measured. If you are curious, the hold is the electricity needed to close the injector. You look for glitches simply by seeing if you have any atypical voltage drop offs or spikes. Pulse Modulated Injectors Don’t let these injectors confuse you either! The low voltage is the fuel injector on-time. The voltage oscillates (which keeps amps low) holding the injector open for a period of time. Look for glitches just like the other injectors. If we have missing or rapid-pulsing zigzags or atypical voltages, then we have a problem! NOTE: Injector waveforms increase in pulse width with engine speed. PEAK HOLD On time

Labscope Waveform Diagnostics ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 103 Fuel Injector Voltage Versus Amps Amperage irregularities, often seen as extreme drop offs or resonance (extreme zigzagging) will tip us off that an injector is bad. Amps on A and Volts on B Volts on A and Amps on B This is a BAD Peak, and Hold This is a BAD Peak and Hold Injector. Injector that failed a different way. Amps on A and on Volts B Volts on A and Amps on B BAD! BAD! Good! Good!

Labscope Waveform Diagnostics ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 104 Verifying PCM Control of Injectors How do we know that the PCM is in fuel control, commanding the injector on time correctly? The waveform above represents a good PCM’s command of fuel on Channel A and the sensor, such as a HO2S on B. If the voltage on B (HO2S) goes down (lean condition) the pulse width on A (fuel injector) should go to the right (longer/wider) allowing more fuel into the engine. If the opposite is the case, a rich condition, the fuel injector on-time will be shorter, allowing less fuel. You can also use the MAP, MAF, CKP, CAM, ECT, TPS, and IAT, among others. The HO2S on Channel B is a straight line of volage due to the 2 mS time setting rather than the normal 200 mS where the waveform will dither from low to high and high to low voltage.

Labscope Waveform Diagnostics ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 105 IDLE AIR CONTROL (IAC) WAVEFORMS This (IAC) Idle Air Control Valve is a 12 volts pulse modulated signal. The waveform will expand and contract for different idle speeds. EVAP WAVEFORMS To the right is a BAD EVAP solenoid amp waveform. Take a look at the amps, each line = 5 amps for a total of 23 amps. A good waveform would reflect the solenoid pulling only about 300-400 mA. Remember that every 100 mv on a low current probe = 1 amp. 5 amps per line

Labscope Waveform Diagnostics ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 106 IGNITION WAVEFORMS We diagnose ignition problems by connecting to the ignition module primary side on the signal wires leaving the DIS coil pack. When we do this with our scope, we want to check for both amps and voltage. So, we plug our amp clamp into our scope with a BNC connector to view amps and use our other lead in a different channel to view volts. We then connect the amp clamp around either the feed or ground side of the ignition module (it doesn’t matter which) and put the other lead on the other wire. Here’s what a good reading looks like: Notice voltage shoots up when amperage plummets? Both MUST be a vertical line. The spark event is this vertical line, and it literally occurs instantly. A bad reading, like the one to the right, shows that spark is being affected by a switch in the primary circuit, which is not opening quickly enough. Test components in the circuit but expect a faulty ignition module or PCM. The above is a failure in the coil and dwell section that would indicate a problem with the ignition module. Normal voltage waveform Normal amperage waveform

Labscope Waveform Diagnostics ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 107 Ignition Waveforms and the Dwell Period Also keep an eye out for the dwell period of the voltage waveform. The dwell period is shown in greater detail to the right. When you rev up the engine, if the dwell period DOES NOT move to the left on the scope, the ignition module or PCM is at fault. Critical Thinking: The waveform above left is a good signal from a cylinder, while the waveform above right has a problem. The wire to the coil and PCM was shorted causing a driver problem along with a misfire. The picture to the right appears to have higher current when it actually does not. The voltage per division was lowered along with the time to view the signal. Amp Clamp 200 mV / 2 mS Ford ignition multi strike, Amp Bad Problem with PCM Driver Ford ignition multi strike, Amp Good Amp Clamp 200 mV / 2 mS

Labscope Waveform Diagnostics ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 108 RELATIVE COMPRESSION TEST 1. Disable fuel. 2. Scope leads (+) & (-) leads on (+) and (-) battery terminals while the scope is on AC coupled and movie mode if available. 3. Crank the engine over until you get a waveform. 4. If you want to know the firing order place an RPM clamp on cylinder #1 spark wire to trigger the test and identify the correct firing order. A good waveform is even and uniform. Uneven waves, like the circled one, indicates a weak cylinder. O2 SENSOR WAVEFORMS Good pre-cat (upstream) oxygen sensors have even waves in the 150 mV to 850 mV range when the system is in closed loop. Air-Fuel sensors appear as straight lines at a voltage that differs by manufacturer. Post-catalytic (downstream) converter oxygen sensors appear as a straight line. If they switch at a steady RPM, it tells us that the catalytic converter is bad. GOOD BAD 200 mV AC / 200 mS

Labscope Waveform Diagnostics ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 109 THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR WAVEFORMS If we have a low voltage TPS DTC on our scan tool and the customer reports drivability problems, but the engine runs fine at the shop, we have an intermittent problem. What do we do? First, we connect to the TPS signal wire with our scope on DC V. To the right is a good TPS waveform, 0.3 to 1 V at closed throttle and 4.5 to 5 V at open throttle. It rises up and down gradually as the throttle opens and closes. Put the scope on movie mode, SET IT AND FORGET IT! The screen may go blank or say “waiting for trigger.” If the voltage drops as its sloping up, you need to replace the TPS. MAF Sensor Waveforms MAF sensors work in much the same way. During a snap throttle test, as more air enters engine, the wave goes up or the HZ (frequency) increases. As air decreases, the wave goes down or the HZ (frequency) decreases. Any MAF sensor that does not function as described may need to be cleaned (not all sensors can be cleaned) or replaced. Analog MAF Any sensor that is a potentiometer, like a TPS, should rise and fall predictably Look for intermittent dropouts to diagnose a bad MAF Labscope settings on the above screens are 1V / 200 mS

Labscope Waveform Diagnostics ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 110 MAP Sensor Waveforms The MAP sensor is just like both the TPS and MAF sensors, rising with open throttle and declining with closed throttle. Digital MAF, MAP, and TPS Sensors If any of these waveforms are a square wave and not the sort of waves to the left, that’s okay. Many vehicles, especially Fords, have switched over to digital sensors that use square waves. The more air coming into the system, the higher frequency of square waves. If you suspect a faulty digital sensor, look for dropouts in the middle of a square wave or rounded corners. MAP TPS BAD GOOD GOOD MAP TPS TPS MAF, MAP, AND TPS sensors work hand-in-hand. Labscope settings on the above screens are 1 V / 100 to 200 mS Labscope settings 2 V / 500 uS

Labscope Waveform Diagnostics ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 111 FUEL PUMP WAVEFORMS To test a fuel pump on all newer vehicles where the whole circuit is integrated into the pump, install an amp clamp on the fuel pump circuit feed or ground wire. This can be done by putting a jumped in place of the fuel pump relay. We want to view fuel pump current. Set up the scope with 1 mS + 100 mV per div. Known good waveforms and amperage specs are the easiest way to average fuel pumps. This is a good waveform. It has even and similar waves. Bad Fuel Pump Waveforms As fuel pumps age, they pump more slowly. The result on the waveform is that it drags out. So, if a fuel pump underperforms and its wave pattern drags out much longer than what is specified for its internal commutator to make one revolution, you know the pump is at fault. Furthermore, if the waveform is uneven and jagged, the fuel pump has internal damage and needs to be replaced. But not so fast! How about the waveform to the right, is it bad? YES! You will see that it has even and uniform waves, more than 1 division difference between high and low (horizontal dotted lines.) (Measuring 1 mS/div.) = 1 A per division Is this a bad fuel pump waveform?

Labscope Waveform Diagnostics ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 112 Calculating Fuel Pump Speed It’s simple. Just count how many milliseconds the fuel pump pattern lasts. That is the time it takes the commutator to make one revolution in the fuel pump. Here we see eight waves per pattern. The patterns are identical and individual wavelengths are fairly even, one wave per mS. How do we calculate pump speed? Well, take a calculator and divide the amount of mS per revolution into 60,000. 60,000 divided by 8 is 7500 RPM. So, you can compare this number with the vehicle’s specifications to see if your fuel pump is good or not. Hands on experience is the best way to learn, so pick up your labscope and use it! Note: If LTFT (Long Term Fuel Trim) on the scan tool is excessively high or low (positive numbers mean LTFT is commanding more fuel for a lean condition and negative numbers means LTFT is commanding less for a are rich), whip out your scope and save yourself a headache. These methods of fuel pump testing help us avoid lengthy pressure and volume fuel system testing. 8 mS

Labscope Waveform Diagnostics ________________________________________________________________________ © 2003 – 2021 A.T.T.S. Inc 113 Book Information Even though there are no scientific studies available to confirm my suspicion, as of yet I’d venture to say that there is yet to be ANYBODY who was born an electrician! Learning electricity is tough stuff and after years of working on all the vehicle mechanical systems, learning automotive electricity is always put on the backburner. Perhaps the most desperate need in the entire automotive repair industry is a simple understanding of automotive electricity. I cannot count the number of technicians I’ve spoken to who are intelligent and able mechanics, but don’t know nearly enough about electricity. We invest hundreds and thousands of dollars on meters and scopes and too often we do not know the theoretical stuff (like how much mV is an acceptable voltage drop). More importantly, we don’t even know the practical stuff! Where do we connect? What do we look for? Do I connect my scope just like a meter? Tired of blowing your meter’s fuse, frying computer components when jumping them with a Powered Component Checker or another jumper, and not knowing the first thing to do with a meter or scope (or how the read a waveform)? Diagnosing Electrical Problems on Today’s Motor Vehicles is 105 pages, using real-world examples and helpful illustrations, thoroughly teaches every aspect of electricity that a technician needs to know in the real world. Our promise: no useless theory. No yacking about ohms law and electrons. YOU WILL know how to do automotive electrical after reading this book. Take your skills to the next level! -Editor

Automotive Applications and beyondDisclaimer!Acknowledgements!Preface!Curien Hub Explanations!Automotive Applications For N2 Neuron!Parasitic Draw!Battery Testing!Starter System Testing!Ignition Testing!Charing System!Sensor Testing!Voltage Drop Testing !Temperature Testing!Power Tests!NotesTable of Contents2!3!4!5!17!19!27!43!48!54!58!71!80!84!87Curiosity Engaged

•The Curien Hub Mobile app is a constantly updated software system that is run between iOS and Android systems. Both systems have their own limitations and advantages. Curien does its best to update both systems simultaneously and concurrently, however there are times that one system may have an update ahead of the other. Additionally due to limitations of the hardware between devices Curien cannot guarantee the experience shown is the experience received (also known as “Your mileage may vary”) because of the differences between systems and your hardware and the hardware the demonstrations are completed on. Curien will always strive to do its best by its customers because you are the reason we are here. !•We have created videos to walkthrough each of these tests with you and you can access them scanning this QR code and selecting the test you desire.!•You can also access the website via computer using URL: https://www.curienllc.com/advanced-electrical-training-course-book!•The access code for this is: TSTSEMINARSDisclaimerAutomotive Applications for N2 Neuron and BeyondCuriosity Engaged2

AcknowledgementsCopyright © 2021 Curien llc. Copyright © 2021 - 2022 Curien LLC. Joshua Carton All Rights Reserved Graphic art by Joshua CartonEdited by Gerald Tabas Printed in the United StatesNo part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of the author. Disclaimer: Original OEM information, specifications, and procedures should always precede any information given in this book. The writer of this book, its editor, contributors, and publisher are not responsible for any damage done to vehicles or any injury or mortal harm that might come about in result of following the advice, procedures, or anything in this book. Acknowledgments: I would like to thank “G Jerry Truglia” For the inspiration for this book, along with his help and partnership through the TST and ATTS programs we are able to create automotive educational information for the automotive industry to help uplift automotive technicians and not just make really cool tech. Our mission is to help put the intelligence of 1 billion mechanics into each others hands to help speed up and improve the way we all solve automotive problems and this is just the beginning. The data intelligence space is something my partner Manuel Occiano and I have been working on for years and this book is just a beginning part of it. A special thanks to David Eckerson for his tireless work on making the mobile applications a reality and helping to fix, improve upon and streamline what we crazy cats come up with!Also another special thanks to James Whong for tireless work, fast turn arounds and countless phone calls, emails, conference calls and late nights on hardware and of course for making the base technology that makes this all possible!Automotive Applications for N2 Neuron and BeyondCuriosity Engaged3

This book is a two part system, both the physical book to look at and understand, but also the counterpart being its even growing and improving online content tied to it. !Today we are launching the book with specific application updates and automotive tests, but knowing where we are going in the space and what we are going after it is important to realize that this information may become “outdated” very quickly which is why we are providing portals (QR codes) for each test and application that will send you to web content that stays up to date and with better information and/or instructions.!The slides in this book are meant to give you an understanding of both the N2 neuron’s mobile application (Curien Hub) but also the information the tool is looking for to make determinations so that you can make better decisions on your diagnostic process.Automotive Applications for N2 Neuron and BeyondPrefaceCuriosity Engaged4

Curien Hub ExplanationsCurien Hub System TestsCuriosity Engaged

When you install and open the app for the first time you will see these 4 icons.!•Sync!•Meter !•Premium Access!•SettingsHome PageCurien Hub 2.2.1 UpdatesCuriosity Engaged6

Sync ScreenCurien Hub 2.2.1 UpdatesNo need to manually pair N2 with your phone, tablet or computer. As long as the bluetooth is on, N2 has batteries installed correctly and you said, “Yes” to all the prompts when installing the app, N2 will show up in the Sync window automatically.!If N2 does not show up automatically tap the “scan” button. !When connected the N2 will automatically “pop” into the Meter mode.Curiosity Engaged7

The Meter Mode will show you all the meter measurements, Data Intelligence options, sample rate data, ranging data and logging options all in one place.!The N2 is 2- Channel so the top Channel and Bottom channel are always measuring.!You can “Turn off” or hide the measurements you are not using on N2 by tapping on the measurement type and selecting off.!Any measurement selected on this screen will automatically transfer to the graphing area and logging data.Meter ModeCurien Hub 2.2.1 UpdatesCuriosity Engaged8

The Meter Mode will show you all the meter measurements, Data Intelligence options, sample rate data, ranging data and logging options all in one place.!The N2 is 2- Channel so the top Channel and Bottom channel are always measuring.!You can “Turn off” or hide the measurements you are not using on N2 by tapping on the measurement type and selecting off.!Any measurement selected on this screen will automatically transfer to the graphing area and logging data.Top ChannelCurien Hub 2.2.1 UpdatesCuriosity Engaged9

The Bottom Channel will show you what measurement types can be used on the bottom channel.!You can “Turn off” or hide the measurements on this channel by tapping on the measurement type and selecting off.!Any measurement selected on this screen will automatically transfer to the graphing area and logging data.Bottom ChannelCurien Hub 2.2.1 UpdatesCuriosity Engaged10

The Settings area from the meter mode allow you to: !•Rename the unit!•Change the logging interval!•Change Display to landscape or Portrait!•Update display color!•Select Auto-connect!•Or reboot the unit!These settings allow you to customize your experience with the N2 NeuronSettingsCurien Hub 2.2.1 UpdatesCuriosity Engaged11

The Sample window and speed are how you and the tool determine what information will be used to display the readings. !The smaller the capture window (32 smpl) and the smaller the dataset you are using to get the reading or waveform. !The larger the capture window (256 smpl) the more data points are being used for the reading or waveform.!Within the capture windows you can choose the speed you want to have the tool measure at for optimal testing and noise.!All System and Component Tests are automatically ranged and speed adjusted for the testing but you can choose to manually adjust the speed yourself. Sample window and speedCurien Hub 2.2.1 UpdatesCuriosity Engaged12

The Data Intelligence menu allows you to test by automotive system and subsequent components or factors of those systems for your automotive testing needs.!Systems currently included in the menu are:!•Parasitic Draw Tests!•Sensor Tests!•Battery System!•Charging System!•Ignition System!•Temperature Tests!•Voltage Drops!•Power Test!Within these menus you will find specific component or factor tests to help you diagnose your automotive problems.Data Intelligence MenuCurien Hub 2.2.1 UpdatesCuriosity Engaged13

The Data logging area allows you to set the speed at which you want to log data.!The available logs are shown in the menu!You can share share the logs from the app.!Logs are output in csv file format with a UTC data format inside.!Logging can be turned on and off in this menu.Data LoggingCurien Hub 2.2.1 UpdatesCuriosity Engaged14

The Graphing window allows you to display data from the meter mode.!The graphing window will allow you to graph calculated data such as ohms law, Thermocouple and more.!You can enable waveform capture, pause and play the live stream data and change the sample rates and capture windows all from this screenGraphingCurien Hub 2.2.1 UpdatesCuriosity Engaged15

You can turn off the TRMS Functionality here to watch wave forms. Range data and more.!Change the channels ranging manually!Change background and trace colors!Enable the diagnostic menu!Increase or Decrease the “points on Screen” or viewing window of data samples you want to see at any given time.Graphing Config MenuCurien Hub 2.2.1 UpdatesCuriosity Engaged16

Automotive Applications For N2 Neuron & BeyondCurien Hub Automotive System TestsCuriosity Engaged

The Diagnostic Menu is driven by automotive systems and power factors that are required for testing those systems.!Although the order of tests may change, this menu will continue to grow in both systems and tests within each system. Subsequent hardware iterations and improvements to physical measurement technologies will enable this app to provide more and more diagnostic intelligence and data for you and the application to assist you with your testing needs.!We are always open to new ideas and help and appreciate any suggestions you may have to these systems, tests or factors that enable them to provide answers and parameters on good or bad results.!Throughout the following pages you will see jumps between the iOS and Android versions of the application to show that although there may be some slight differences in the appearance, the data and information is all the same.Automotive ApplicationsCurien Hub 2.2.1 UpdatesCuriosity Engaged18

Parasitic Draw Automotive ApplicationsCuriosity EngagedFor updated videos and follow along content

Automotive ApplicationsParasitic Draw TestingThe parasitic draw tests are designed to help you find where a draw could be in a fuse block and then determine how much amperage is being drawn on each circuit that has amperage on it.!This is done by Fuse Type and Size.!Currently supported fuses are:!•Cartridge!•Standard!•Maxi!•Mini!Note that the different fuse types and sizes enable us to have a very good idea of the resistance of fuse at which point we are able to provide an ohms law calculation based on voltage drop across the fuses to provide an estimate of the amperage draw through the fuses. This test does not require the amperage meter and therefore you can test as high of an amperage as the fuse is rated for. !There is an accessory coming out soon that will allow for 100 amps continuous to be read through a jump cable utilizing this test method. As the system tests and training materials increase, they will be updated on the virtual portion of this text.Curiosity Engaged20

Test Purpose:!The Amp Find mode allows you to Identify Amperage on a circuit. This feature is watching for a stabilized voltage reading over a certain threshold. If amperage is flowing through a fuse and the voltage drop is high enough the application will provide the “Amps Found” notification. If the “None” notification is showing the tool show no consistent voltage drop reading.!Test Setup:!•Sample rates: 256 (32)!•Bottom Channel: Voltage DC or Auxiliary Voltage DC!•Top Channel: N/A!Test Procedure:!•Place Leads on tool to Voltage DC or Auxiliary Voltage DC!•Use Probe Tips!•Set the Data Intelligence menu to Amp Find!•Put Probe Tips across the terminal tops of a single Fuse!•Ensure probe tips are securely on top of fuse terminals for accurate reading.!Any voltage reading = “Amps Found”!This setting is highly sensitive so ghost voltage will identify as amps found.!Once reading stabilize on circuit reading will be accurate.Automotive ApplicationsAmp Find TestingCuriosity Engaged21

Recommendations:!•Any draw over 30mA can kill battery over time. If Amp Find, “Finds Amps” shows it is suggested to verify the amperage reading is in alignment with what is expected. For example if a dome light is on, ensure the amperage draw is as expected.!•Once a circuit is found with “amps found” you can verify circuit has amp draw by testing with fuse test. By selecting the fuse type and the fuse size.!•Once amperage is found that is abnormal or not expected, you should confirm the circuit and components on that circuit using the vehicle fuse chart and a wiring diagram.!•Identify components/systems on associated circuit (check wiring diagrams).!•If Amp draw is not expected or higher than anticipated then begin diagnosing those components/systems to see what is staying, shorted or drawing more than intended.!•If you are unable to keep probes on fuses you can attach voltmeter to battery while diagnosing, enter graphing mode and watch the voltage rise or drop as you unplug and diagnose components.Automotive ApplicationsAmp Find TestingCuriosity Engaged22

Cartridge fuses readable by Curien Hub App today are:!•20 amp - 100 amp!Test Setup:!•Sample rates: 256 (32)!•Bottom Channel: Voltage DC or Auxiliary Voltage DC!•Top Channel: N/A!Test Procedure:!•Place Leads on tool to Voltage DC or Auxiliary Voltage DC!•Use Probe Tips!•Set the Data Intelligence menu to Cart Fuse!•Select the desired Cartridge fuse size and color!•Put Probe Tips across the terminal tops of a single Fuse!•Ensure probe tips are securely on top of fuse terminals for accurate reading.!•Note: reading may be off by as much as 5 - 15 mA as this is a calculated amperage reading. For amperage readings blow 10 amps to be accurate use in-series amp meter. Also using Auxiliary DC Voltmeter for this test instead of voltage DC will present a more accurate reading.Automotive ApplicationsCartridge FuseCuriosity Engaged23

Standard fuses readable by Curien Hub App today are:!•1 amp - 40 amp!Test Setup:!•Sample rates: 256 (32)!•Bottom Channel: Voltage DC or Auxiliary Voltage DC!•Top Channel: N/A!Test Procedure:!•Place Leads on tool to Voltage DC or Auxiliary Voltage DC!•Use Probe Tips!•Set the Data Intelligence menu to Std Fuse!•Select the desired Standard fuse size and color!•Put Probe Tips across the terminal tops of a single Fuse!•Ensure probe tips are securely on top of fuse terminals for accurate reading.!•Note: reading may be off by as much as 5 - 15 mA as this is a calculated amperage reading. For amperage readings blow 10 amps to be accurate use in-series amp meter. Also using Auxiliary DC Voltmeter for this test instead of voltage DC will present a more accurate reading.Automotive ApplicationsStandard FuseCuriosity Engaged24

Maxi fuses readable by Curien Hub App today are:!•20 amp - 80 amp!Test Setup:!•Sample rates: 256 (32)!•Bottom Channel: Voltage DC or Auxiliary Voltage DC!•Top Channel: N/A!Test Procedure:!•Place Leads on tool to Voltage DC or Auxiliary Voltage DC!•Use Probe Tips!•Set the Data Intelligence menu to Maxi Fuse!•Select the desired Maxi fuse size and color!•Put Probe Tips across the terminal tops of a single Fuse!•Ensure probe tips are securely on top of fuse terminals for accurate reading.!•Note: reading may be off by as much as 5 - 15 mA as this is a calculated amperage reading. For amperage readings blow 10 amps to be accurate use in-series amp meter. Also using Auxiliary DC Voltmeter for this test instead of voltage DC will present a more accurate reading.Automotive ApplicationsMaxi FuseCuriosity Engaged25

Mini fuses readable by Curien Hub App today are:!•1 amp - 30 amp!Test Setup:!•Sample rates: 256 (32)!•Bottom Channel: Voltage DC or Auxiliary Voltage DC!•Top Channel: N/A!Test Procedure:!•Place Leads on tool to Voltage DC or Auxiliary Voltage DC!•Use Probe Tips!•Set the Data Intelligence menu to Mini Fuse!•Select the desired Mini fuse size and color!•Put Probe Tips across the terminal tops of a single Fuse!•Ensure probe tips are securely on top of fuse terminals for accurate reading.!•Note: reading may be off by as much as 5 - 15 mA as this is a calculated amperage reading. For amperage readings blow 10 amps to be accurate use in-series amp meter. Also using Auxiliary DC Voltmeter for this test instead of voltage DC will present a more accurate reading.Automotive ApplicationsMini FuseCuriosity Engaged26

Battery TestingApp ExplanationsCuriosity EngagedFor updated videos and follow along content

The Battery Testing features built into the application are designed to help you in your diagnostic process and provide enough information to determine if the vehicles battery can be the root cause of your electrical issues or if you can continue testing into the systems that are being affected by the current electrical gremlins. !All of these tests only require the voltmeter on the N2 Neuron.!The current test feature in the application for the battery systems are:!•Surface Discharge !•Battery State of Charge!•Battery Cranking!•Battery Terminals!•Battery Cable!•Loaded Cable!The battery tests on this version of the application are meant for 12V systems, however 24V and 48V systems will be released shortly. As the system tests and training materials increase, they will be updated on the virtual portion of this text.Automotive ApplicationsBattery TestsCuriosity Engaged28

Test Purpose:!The test checks for a low current discharge across the battery case. Dirt, moisture, corrosion are typical causes of surface discharge. Surface Discharge on the vehicles battery can cause the battery to discharge its self over time. Depending on the severity of the discharge this can kill a battery over course of a weekend or over weeks of inactivity. The surface discharge test is looking for a reading of more than 0.5V between the battery terminals and the battery casing. Anything over 1/2 volt indicates excessive surface discharge.!Test Setup:!•Sample rates: 256 (32)!•Bottom Channel: Voltage DC!•Top Channel: N/A!Test Procedure!•Place Leads on tool to Voltage DC !•Use Probe Tips on leads!•Set the Data Intelligence menu to Surface Discharge under the battery system!•keeping in mind “Negative to Negative” and “Positive to Positive” Place the ground probe on the ground post and the positive probe on the battery casing !•or the positive probe on the positive post and the ground probe on the battery casing.!The “Detected” notification will show with a yellow background when voltage of more than .5 volts is found on the surface of the battery.Automotive ApplicationsBattery DischargeCuriosity Engaged29

Recommendations:!•It is important to complete a battery service if the battery has visible corrosion and build up on the surface and terminals. Also a visual inspection is key prior to cleaning to ensure there is no bloating, cracks, leakage or other visible damage to the battery.!•If surface discharge is found on the battery, clean the battery and terminals using a battery cleaning solution or a home made solution.!•Once a service and/or cleaning has been performed it is important to retest the battery and check for surface discharge once dried.!•If surface discharge is gone after these procedures then continue on your battery testing and further diagnostics.!•If surface discharge remains, re-clean the battery and search for cracks, leakage or other overspray on the battery casing.!•If issue surface discharge remains after last step a possible battery replacement may be necessary.Automotive ApplicationsBattery DischargeCuriosity Engaged30

Test Purpose:!The test is to determine the state of charge of the vehicles battery. A battery with an improper or low state of charge can be the cause of many electrical issues down the chain of the electrical system. Although a low state of charge can be caused by many different issues including bad cells, parasitic draw, no/low recharging from the alternator, temperature, over draw from aftermarket components, to an incorrect battery in the system or other issues it may not be the definitive indicator of the battery state of health, but still an important factor to be aware of while testing.!The test will provide you a notification of the state of charge in color form, a notification on whether or not the battery is in a good enough state to load test on and the percentage of present charge.!The tool needs to have the bottom channel setup in the following configuration:!Test Setup:!•Sample rates: 64MS (256) (4000Hz 256 smpl)!•Bottom Channel: Voltage DC!•Top Channel: N/A!Test Procedure!•Place Leads on tool to Voltage DC !•Use Probe Tips on leads or Alligator Clamps!•Set the Data Intelligence menu to Battery S.O.C. under the battery system!•Connect the positive probe or clamp to the battery positive terminal!•Connect the common probe or clamp to the battery negative terminal!•The app will present the State of Charge result in the data intelligence menu.Automotive ApplicationsBattery State of ChargeCuriosity Engaged31

The test for 12 V automotive systems provides the following range for state of charge:!•12 V STATE OF CHARGE RANGE:!•12.45 - 12.66 (OK to LOAD TEST)!•12.86V - 12.45V GREEN OK TO TEST!•12.16 - 12.30V ORANGE RECHARGE BAT!•9.8 -12.15 > RED BAD RECHARGE BAT!The Percentage of Charge for the 12 V automotive battery system is as follows:!•12.60V or greater 100% !•12.45V 75% !•12.30V 50% !•12.15V 25% !Please note that 24V and 48V system updates are coming and will be ranged correctly as well.Automotive ApplicationsBattery State of ChargeCuriosity Engaged32

Automotive ApplicationsBattery State of ChargeRecommendations:!•Check the battery case for signs of physical damage such as warping, bloating, cracks or other issues. If no damage continue.!•For a fast recharge, turn over the engine and let the alternator recharge the battery. You can keep tool connected to monitor the voltage and state of charge. Although this will quickly get the battery voltage back to a higher state of charge, this may not be enough to return a truly drained battery. !•If the issue remains after the alternator recharge continue with a dedicated charger. !•Remove the battery from the vehicle OR disconnect the cables from the vehicle. If you want to keep the vehicles memory alive, be sure to use a keep alive jump pack on the system.!•Before charging with a dedicated charging system, be sure that the ratings and settings are correct for the type of battery you are using and that you connect the charger to the battery before turning it on.!•Recharge Battery using dedicated charger and a slow recharge cycle.!•If these steps resolve the State of Charge issue continue with your diagnostic process. If it does not, read below.!•If the battery system does not hold a charge at the “OK TO LOAD TEST” level after these steps, and excessive load is not on the system and the battery installed on the vehicle is of the correct capacity and CCA, it is possible a replacement battery is needed, test with a dedicated carbon pile tester and continue.Curiosity Engaged33

Test purpose:!This test is to watch the voltage drop of the battery in a cranking situation for 15 seconds where the fuel pump relay is removed allowing for a high enough load on the battery to give an indication of battery health. !The battery cranking test takes into account both the temperature and the curve of the battery drain to make a determination on whether or not the vehicle’s battery is in good standing or needs to be replaced. Although this is not a definitive replacement for your carbon pile load tester, this is sufficient to provide you with a high probability of certainty on a “good battery” and “Bad” battery allowing you to save time and money on doing expensive load tests on the battery.!Please note that you will need to remove the fuel pump relay for this test and that some vehicles may show the check engine light after this relay is removed.!Once the Battery Cranking test is selected, the application will automatically set up the tool and range it for this test.!•Tool Setup:!•Top Chanel set to internal temperature.!•Bottom Channel set to Voltage DC ranged at 60V!•Speed: 64MS (256) or (4000 Hz 256 SMPL)!Please note that the tool is monitoring the ambient temperature in conjunction with the voltage drop of the battery and the characteristics of the drop in order to make a determination on the battery status. On the next page you will see the general guidelines for the battery test results.Automotive ApplicationsBattery Cranking Curiosity Engaged34

Automotive ApplicationsBattery CrankingTest Procedure:!•Place Leads on tool to Voltage DC !•Use Probe Tips on leads or Alligator Clamps!•Connect the positive probe or clamp to the battery positive terminal!•Connect the common probe or clamp to the battery negative terminal!•The app will present the Bat Cranking result in the data intelligence menu. !•Disable the Fuel Pump by removing the fuel pump relay. This is so that you can crank the engine for 15 seconds and monitor the voltage drop and the voltage characteristics.!•Set the min/max reading to Min. !•Crank over the vehicle to remove any fuel left in the system (the engine may turn over momentarily). !•Once the engine cuts out, re crank the engine for 15 seconds.!•Allow the tool to monitor the results and provide a live status.!•A battery minimum reading of less than 9.40V at 60°F/16°C indicates a weak battery.!Battery/Air Temperature guide:!•10.0V 90°F/33°C !•9.8V 80°F/27°C !•9.6V 70°F/21°C!•9.4V 60°F/16°C !•9.2V 50°F/10°C !•9.0V 40°F/4°C !•8.8V 30°F/-1°C!•8.6V 20°F/-7°CCuriosity Engaged35

Automotive ApplicationsBattery CrankingRecommendations: Check the battery case for signs of physical damage such as warping, bloating, cracks or other issues. If no damage continue.!•Recharge battery.!•For a fast recharge, turn over the engine and let the alternator recharge the battery. You can keep tool connected to monitor the voltage and state of charge. Although this will quickly get the battery voltage back to a higher state of charge, this may not be enough to return a truly drained battery. !•Retest - If the issue remains after the alternator recharge continue with a dedicated charger. !•Remove the battery from the vehicle OR disconnect the cables from the vehicle. If you want to keep the vehicles memory alive, be sure to use a keep alive jump pack on the system.!•Before charging with a dedicated charging system, be sure that the ratings and settings are correct for the type of battery you are using and that you connect the charger to the battery before turning it on.!•Recharge Battery using dedicated charger and a slow recharge cycle.!•Re- Test. If the issue is resolved, continue on your diagnostic process. If not continue.!•If the weak battery notification is returned and the minimum voltage drops below the suggested level as related to temperature, use a dedicated load test or smart battery tester to confirm readings. If the battery is inoperable, a replacement battery may be necessary.Curiosity Engaged36

Automotive ApplicationsBattery Terminal TestTest purpose:!This test is designed to determine if the terminal connector has high voltage drop on it and can be the cause of your electrical gremlins. Please note that you will want to have as many high loads on when performing this test in order to have a sufficient Voltage drop test from the battery post to the battery terminal. The tool is looking for voltage drops of less than or more than 200mV from the battery post to the terminals.!Once the Battery Terminals test is selected, the application will automatically set up the tool and range it for this test.!Tool Setup:!•Top Chanel: N/A!•Bottom Channel: Voltage DC ranged at 60V!•Speed: 64MS (256) or (4000 Hz 256 SMPL)!Test Procedures:!•Turn on head lamps and any other high loads!•Place Leads on tool to Voltage DC !•Use Probe Tips on leads!•For the Ground Terminal:!•Press the ground probe on battery ground post.!•Press the positive probe on the “-“ Battery Terminal connector !•Data intelligence menu will present “Good” or “Bad”!•For the Positive Terminal!•Press the positive probe on battery positive post.!•Press the ground probe on the “+” Battery Terminal connector !•Data intelligence menu will present “Good” or “Bad”Curiosity Engaged37

Recommendations:!•If Battery Terminals are found to be “Bad” this voltage drop can be caused by corrosion, rust, crust, oxidation and other materials introduced between the battery post and the terminal. The first recommendation is to clean the battery posts.!•Once cleaned, Retest the battery terminals.!•If the terminal voltage drop is gone, continue testing procedure. If Voltage Drop remains uninstall and reinstall the terminals and use dielectric grease at the posts and terminals and ensure a tight fit.!•Ensure there is no debris or object between the battery posts and the terminal.!•If second cleaning does not resolve issue, expect to replace the battery terminals. Discuss with the customer.Automotive ApplicationsBattery Terminal TestCuriosity Engaged38

Automotive ApplicationsBattery Cables TestTest purpose:!This test is designed to help you determine if the power feed cables have voltage drop on them in a loaded environment. By testing for voltage drop with load on the cables (such as a crank over or other high draw loads) this test allows us to look at the amount of drop on the cable over a given period of time. Any voltage drop above 500mV on the power feeds or battery cables can cause problems down the electrical “chain of custody” and can possibly cause electrical gremlins to plague the rest of the systems on board. !Tool Setup:!•Top Chanel: N/A!•Bottom Channel: Voltage DC ranged at 60V!•Set Min/Max to Max!•Speed: 64MS (256) or (4000 Hz 256 SMPL)!Test Procedures:!•Place Leads on tool to Voltage DC !•Use Probe Tips on leads!•For the Ground Terminal:!•Press the ground probe on battery “-“ terminal/post.!•Press the positive probe on the Vehicle chassis or motor !•Data intelligence menu will present “Good” or “Bad”!•For the Positive Terminal!•Press the positive probe on battery positive terminal/post.!•Press the ground probe on the starter output connector !•Data intelligence menu will present “Good” or “Bad”!•Clear Min/Max and set to Max!•Turn on head lamps and any other high loads or Crank OverCuriosity Engaged39

Automotive ApplicationsBattery Cables TestRecommendations If a “bad” result if found it is important to Inspect your power feed (cable) connectors for loose connections, corrosion, breaks and other issues. Also checking the wire integrity is important as friction, other technicians or mother nature may have caused a break in the cable shielding and allowed moisture to enter the cable causing rust or corrosion.!After inspecting the power feed connections and cable for visible damage if any is found, this must be addressed by either proper repair, replacement for readjustment.!If the connectors have no visible damage inspect cable closer and begin the “wiggle” test along the whole wire to ensure there are no breaks along the body inside the insulation and shielding.!If the cable has no visible damage clean and readjust the connectors and retest.!If the issue is resolved, continue on your diagnostic process and confirm your original issues have gone away, although a high or higher than expected voltage drop on the cables can cause issues along the electrical chain of custody, other issues may still exist.!If the “bad” notification remains, you may need to completely before replacing it. Remove the power feed to inspect closer and either repair or replace.Curiosity Engaged40

Automotive ApplicationsLoaded Cables TestTest purpose:!This test is designed to help you determine if the any feed cables have voltage drop on them in a loaded environment. By testing for voltage drop with load on the cables (such as a crank over or other high draw loads) this test allows us to look at the amount of drop on the cable over a given period of time. Any voltage drop above 500mV on the power feeds or battery cables can cause problems down the electrical “chain of custody” and can possibly cause electrical gremlins to plague the rest of the systems on board. !Tool Setup:!•Top Chanel: N/A!•Bottom Channel: Voltage DC ranged at 60V!•Set Min/Max to Max!•Speed: 64MS (256) or (4000 Hz 256 SMPL)!Test Procedures:!•Place Leads on tool to Voltage DC !•Use Probe Tips on leads or clamps!•Press or clamp the ground probe on one side of cable.!•Press or clamp the positive probe on other side of cable !•Clear Min/Max and set to Max!•Turn on head lamps and any other high loads or Crank Over !•Data intelligence menu will present “Good” or “Bad”Curiosity Engaged41

Automotive ApplicationsLoaded Cables TestRecommendations If a “bad” result if found it is important to Inspect your power feed (cable) connectors for loose connections, corrosion, breaks and other issues. Also checking the wire integrity is important as friction, other technicians or mother nature may have caused a break in the cable shielding and allowed moisture to enter the cable causing rust or corrosion.!After inspecting the power feed connections and cable for visible damage if any is found, this must be addressed by either proper repair, replacement for readjustment.!If the connectors have no visible damage inspect cable closer and begin the “wiggle” test along the whole wire to ensure there are no breaks along the body inside the insulation and shielding.!If the cable has no visible damage clean and readjust the connectors and retest.!If the issue is resolved, continue on your diagnostic process and confirm your original issues have gone away, although a high or higher than expected voltage drop on the cables can cause issues along the electrical chain of custody, other issues may still exist.!If the “bad” notification remains, you may need to completely before replacing it. Remove the power feed to inspect closer and either repair or replace.Curiosity Engaged42

Starter System TestsApp ExplanationsCuriosity EngagedFor updated videos and follow along content

The starter system test are designed to help you diagnose and identify the health status of the physical components and circuits of the starter system. With the starter system tests you can determine if these components are operating within the manufacturers specification or the cause of failure.!These tests will require either the voltmeter or the ohmmeter.!The current test feature in the application for the Starter system are:!•Starter Solenoid!•Starter Circuit!•Solenoid Switches!Although these tests are what is present today, the list of component types is growing and will continue to be updated. Amperage readings will be included in the next set of updates on these tests and as the system tests and training materials increase, they will be updated on the virtual portion of this text.Automotive ApplicationsStarter SystemCuriosity Engaged44

Automotive ApplicationsStarter SolenoidTest purpose:!This test is designed to provide feedback on voltage drop testing across the starter solenoid positive connector to battery post positive and can be used from the starter solenoid negative post to the starter motor. We should expect to see no more than 200mV of voltage drop across this circuit. The starter motor demands high amperage draw from the vehicles battery and any resistance in the circuit that can cause voltage drop can cause the starter to turn slowly and even become inoperable. Testing this system can be useful in a no start condition. Because we are testing the starter, the ignition system will need to be disabled. Remove the fuel pump relay or fuse for this test.!Tool Setup!•Top Chanel: N/A!•Bottom Channel: Voltage DC - Auto Ranged!•Set Min/Max to Max!•Speed: 64MS (256) or (4000 Hz 256 SMPL)!Test Procedures:!•Disable ignition so engine cannot crank over (remove fuel pump relay or fuse)!•Crank over engine to exhaust fuel left in the system. Once fuel is gone continue.!•Place Leads on tool to Volts and Common!•Use Probe Tips or clamps on leads!•Place positive probe tip on battery post positive!•Place negative probe tip on Starter solenoid positive terminal!•Set min/max to max!•Crank engine for 5-7 seconds allowing the system to monitor the voltage drop.!•The data intelligence window will show green if the voltage drop was 200 mV and below or red if the voltage drop was above 200mV.!•Note this test can be repeated from the starter solenoid negative to the starter motor positive terminals.Curiosity Engaged45

Automotive ApplicationsStarter CircuitTest purpose:!This test is designed to provide feedback on voltage drop testing across the starter circuit as a whole from the positive connector of the starter motor to battery post positive. We should expect to see no more than 700mV (.7V) of voltage drop across this circuit. The starter motor demands high amperage draw from the vehicles battery and any resistance in the circuit that can cause voltage drop can cause the starter to turn slowly and even become inoperable. Testing this system can be useful in a no start condition. Because we are testing the starter, the ignition system will need to be disabled. Remove the fuel pump relay or fuse for this test.!Tool Setup!•Top Chanel: N/A!•Bottom Channel: Voltage DC - Auto Ranged!•Set Min/Max to Max!•Speed: 64MS (256) or (4000 Hz 256 SMPL)!Test Procedures:!•Disable ignition so engine cannot crank over (remove fuel pump relay or fuse)!•Crank over engine to exhaust fuel left in the system. Once fuel is gone continue.!•Place Leads on tool to Volts and Common!•Use Probe Tips or clamps on leads!•Place positive probe tip on battery post positive!•Place negative probe tip on Starter motor positive terminal!•Set min/max to max!•Crank engine for 5-7 seconds allowing the system to monitor the voltage drop.!•The data intelligence window will show green if the voltage drop was 700 mV and below or red if the voltage drop was above 700mV.Curiosity Engaged46

Automotive ApplicationsSolenoid SwitchesTest purpose:!This test is designed to provide feedback on voltage drop testing across the starter solenoid. Although we can test the circuit as a whole and the feeds to and from the solenoid, if we have a faulty starter circuit it is important to diagnose the solenoid switch under load. We should expect to see no more than 100mV (.1V) of voltage drop across this switch. The starter motor demands high amperage draw from the vehicles battery and any resistance in the circuit that can cause voltage drop can cause the starter to turn slowly and even become inoperable. Testing this system can be useful in a no start condition. Because we are testing the starter, the ignition system will need to be disabled. Remove the fuel pump relay or fuse for this test.!Tool Setup!•Top Chanel: N/A!•Bottom Channel: Voltage DC - Auto Ranged!•Set Min/Max to Max!•Speed: 64MS (256) or (4000 Hz 256 SMPL)!Test Procedures:!•Disable ignition so engine cannot crank over (remove fuel pump relay or fuse)!•Crank over engine to exhaust fuel left in the system. Once fuel is gone continue.!•Place Leads on tool to Volts and Common!•Use Probe Tips or clamps on leads!•Place positive probe tip on positive post of starter solenoid!•Place negative probe tip on ground post of starter solenoid!•Set min/max to max!•Crank engine for 5-7 seconds allowing the system to monitor the voltage drop.!•The data intelligence window will show green if the voltage drop was 100 mV and below or red if the voltage drop was above 100mV.Curiosity Engaged47

Ignition System TestsApp ExplanationsCuriosity EngagedFor updated videos and follow along content

The ignition system test are designed to help you diagnose and identify the health status of the physical components and circuits of the ignition system. With the ignition system tests you can determine if the ignition system is the cause of failure or operating within the manufacturers specification.!These tests will require either the voltmeter or the ohmmeter.!The current test feature in the application for the ignition system are:!•Spark Plug Wire!•Primary Winding!•Secondary Winding!•Condensor Leak!Although these tests are what is present today, the list of component types is growing and will continue to be updated. As the system tests and training materials increase, they will be updated on the virtual portion of this text.Automotive ApplicationsIgnition SystemCuriosity Engaged49

Test purpose:!This test is designed to help you determine if the spark plug wires have the optimal amount of resistance by foot length. Too much or too little resistance on the spark plug wire can wreak havoc on the engine performance. In general we want to see no more than 10,000 - 12,000 ohms per 1 foot of cable. This test will provide feedback if the measurement is within 1,000 ohms of the optimal amount of ohms per foot based on feet.!Tool Setup!•Top Chanel: N/A!•Bottom Channel: Resistance - Auto Ranged!•Speed: 256MS (32) or (125 Hz 256 SMPL)!Test Procedures:!•Place Leads on tool to ohms and Common!•Use Probe Tips on leads or clamps!•Connect the positive probe tip or clamp to the one end of the wire.!•Connect the ground probe tip or clamp to the other end of the wire.!•Enter the length of wire in feet on the data intelligence menu!•The result will populate to the left of the feet.!The test will either result in a “Good” green results screen, a “Low” Yellow screen or a “High” red screen deepening on the value of ohms per feet.!Automotive ApplicationsSpark Plug WireCuriosity Engaged50

Test purpose:!This test is designed to determine if the amount of resistance of the primary windings of conventional distributor-less ignition coils are correct and are within optimal range. Primary windings (or coils) connect the vehicles battery and ignition switch to the secondary windings Normal operating range is within .2 Ω to 1.5 Ω. Any readings below .2 Ω are considered low and any readings above 1.5 Ω are considered high. Low Readings will be presented with a yellow back ground, high readings will be presented with a red background and “optimal” or “ok” readings will be with a green background. Readings should be completed both when the coil is hot and when it is cold to ensure the values do not change drastically. It is always important to confirm the manufacturers specification for the specific coils and windings. !Tool Setup!•Top Chanel: N/A!•Bottom Channel: Resistance - Auto Ranged!•Speed: 256MS (32) or (125 Hz 256 SMPL)!Test Procedures:!•Place Leads on tool to ohms and Common!•Use Probe Tips on leads!•Identify the common and positive (or switching) pins for the coil pack (primary winding) !•Connect the ground probe tip to the coil pack common pin (primary windings common pin)!•Connect the positive probe tip to each switching pin for each primary windings coil pin!•The resistance value will indicate a result in the data intelligence window!Note that it is still important to test each winding under load for spark. Depending on the coil pack there can be can be multiple positive pins (switching pins) on a coil pack as each pair of cylinders on “waste spark” systems shares a coil. It is important to check between the common and each pin and confirm test results. For pencil coils there should only be one common and one positive pin. It is also important to check for constant power and switching signal at the connector to the vehicle in diagnosing a no spark condition.Automotive ApplicationsPrimary WindingsCuriosity Engaged51

Test purpose:!This test is designed to determine if the amount of resistance of the secondary windings of conventional distributor-less ignition coils are correct and are within optimal range. Secondary windings (or coils) connect the primary windings to the spark plugs. Normal operating range is within 6 kΩ to 20 KΩ. Any readings below 6K Ω are considered low and any readings above 20K Ω are considered high. Low Readings will be presented with a yellow back ground, high readings will be presented with a red background and “optimal” or “ok” readings will be with a green background. Readings should be completed both when the coil is hot and when it is cold to ensure the values do not change drastically. It is always important to confirm the manufacturers specification for the specific coils and windings. !Tool Setup!•Top Chanel: N/A!•Bottom Channel: Resistance - Auto Ranged!•Speed: 256MS (32) or (125 Hz 256 SMPL)!Test Procedures:!•Place Leads on tool to ohms and Common!•Use Probe Tips on leads!•Identify the common and primary positive terminal (or switching) pins for the coil pack !•Connect the ground probe tip to the high voltage secondary output pin of the coil pack!•Connect the positive probe tip to each switching pin for each primary windings coil pin!•The resistance value will indicate a result in the data intelligence window for each switching pin.!Note that it is still important to test each winding under load for spark.Automotive ApplicationsSecondary WindingsCuriosity Engaged52

Test purpose:!This test is designed to determine if an automotive condenser (capacitor) is able to receive and hold a charge without using a specific capacitance meter. Capacitors will receive and store farads (energy) for releasing energy quickly. Because resistance meters or ohmmeters apply a known voltage across the test leads, they can charge condensers (capacitors) and as the condenser is charged by the leads we can watch the resistance increase to infinity). Any other behavior indicates that the condenser should be replaced. Please note that once a condenser is charged it should stay at infinity indefinitely until discharged. This test will ask you to watch the video to see the test procedure in practice.!Tool Setup!•Top Chanel: N/A!•Bottom Channel: Resistance - Auto Ranged!•Speed: 256MS (32) or (125 Hz 256 SMPL)!Test Procedures:!•Place Leads on tool to ohms and Common!•Use Probe Tips or clamps on leads!•Identify the common pin and positive pin of the Condenser (Capacitor)!•Connect the positive probe or clamp to the positive pin!•Connect the ground probe or clamp to the common pin.!•Watch for a resistance reading.!•As the resistance reading increases it will eventually move to “out of range”!Note capacitors discharge their stored energy quickly. Use caution and safety Automotive ApplicationsCondensor LeakCuriosity Engaged53

Charging SystemAutomotive ApplicationsCuriosity EngagedFor updated videos and follow along content

The charging systems testing features built into the application are designed to help you in your diagnostic process and provide enough information to determine if the vehicles charging system can be the root cause of your electrical issues or if you can continue testing into the systems that are being affected by the current electrical gremlins. Although the current tests are related to voltage drop, soon there will be updates that include amperage draw and the use of amp clamps as well.!These tests only require the voltmeter on the N2 Neuron.!The current test feature in the application for the battery systems are:!•Alternator Voltage!•Alternator Feeds!The alternator tests are currently only looking for voltage drop across the power feed cable or the ground. As the system tests and training materials increase, they will be updated on the virtual portion of this text.Automotive ApplicationsCharging SystemsCuriosity Engaged55

Test purpose:!This test is designed to help you determine if the power feed cable to the alternator has any voltage drop on it in a loaded environment. By testing for voltage drop with load on the cable (such as with high draw loads) this test allows us to look at the amount of drop on the feed over a given period of time with draw on it. Any voltage drop above 500mV on the power feeds or battery cables can cause problems down the electrical “chain of custody” and can possibly cause electrical gremlins to plague the rest of the systems on board. !Tool Setup:!•Top Chanel: N/A!•Bottom Channel: Voltage DC ranged at 60V!•Set Min/Max to Max!•Speed: 64MS (256) or (4000 Hz 256 SMPL)!Test Procedures:!•Place Leads on tool to Voltage DC !•Use Probe Tips on leads or clamps!•Press or clamp the ground probe on Battery positive Terminal.!•Press or clamp the positive probe on the Alternator output terminal. !•Clear Min/Max and set to Max!•Turn over the engine and turn on as many loads as possible (headlamps, radio, Air conditioner, etc…) !•Rev the engine to 2,000 rpm and hold until battery volt drops and the alternator kicks over.!•During the alternator kick over monitor the data intelligence menu. The results will be provided as “Good” or “Bad”Automotive ApplicationsAlternator VoltageCuriosity Engaged56

Test purpose:!This test is designed to help you determine if the ground feed cable to the alternator has any voltage drop on it in a loaded environment. By testing for voltage drop with load on the cable (such as with high draw loads) this test allows us to look at the amount of drop on the feed over a given period of time with draw on it. Any voltage drop above 200mV on the power feeds or battery cables can cause problems down the electrical “chain of custody” and can possibly cause electrical gremlins to plague the rest of the systems on board. !Tool Setup:!•Top Chanel: N/A!•Bottom Channel: Voltage DC ranged at 60V!•Set Min/Max to Max!•Speed: 64MS (256) or (4000 Hz 256 SMPL)!Test Procedures:!•Place Leads on tool to Voltage DC !•Use Probe Tips on leads or clamps!•Press or clamp the positive probe on Battery Ground Terminal.!•Press or clamp the positive probe on the Alternator body or ground connector. !•Clear Min/Max and set to Max!•Turn over the engine and turn on as many loads as possible (headlamps, radio, Air conditioner, etc…) !•Rev the engine to 2,000 rpm and hold until battery volt drops and the alternator kicks over.!•During the alternator kick over monitor the data intelligence menu. The results will be provided as “Good” or “Bad”Automotive ApplicationsAlternator FeedCuriosity Engaged57

Sensor TestsApp ExplanationsCuriosity EngagedFor updated videos and follow along content

The sensor tests are designed to help you diagnose whether or not a sensor is operating correctly or at least within known behavior of these types of tests. Although the data intelligence menu will not provide a “Good” or “Bad” result today, it will provide a fast video on how to test the given sensor, the types of results to be expected and how that might look in the application, whether as a reading or as a graphed value.!These tests will require either the voltmeter or the ohmmeter.!The current test feature in the application for the sensor tests are:!•Hall effect sensor Test!•Thermistor Voltage Test!•Thermistor Ohms Test!•3 Wire Sensor Ohm Test!•3 Wire Voltage Test !•02 Sensor Test!Although these tests are what is present today, the list of sensor types is growing and will continue to be updated. As the system tests and training materials increase, they will be updated on the virtual portion of this text.Automotive ApplicationsSensor TestsCuriosity Engaged59

Test purpose:!This test is designed to monitor a hall effect sensor. Hall effect sensors measure and monitor the change in magnetic field due to a reluctor wheel rotating through the sensors test area and will provide a waveform output in relation to the metal teeth passing through the test field. The hall effect sensor will typically shift between between 0 and 5 volts in a square wave pattern as the teeth on a reluctor wheel pass through sensor and change the magnetic field. Testing the sensor can be done with a voltmeter and values can be monitored, however a graph of the values over time will allow you to see if there are teeth missing on the reluctor wheel or if voltages are not consistent at each tooth passing through the system.!Tool Setup:!•Top Chanel: N/A!•Bottom Channel: Voltage DC ranged at 60V!•Set Min/Max to Max!•Speed: 64MS (256) or (4000 Hz 256 SMPL)!Test Procedures:!•Place Leads on tool to Voltage DC !•Use Probe Tips on leads or clamps!•Insert a T-Pin at the back of the hall effect output terminal!•Insert a T-Pin at the back of the hall effect ground terminal!•Set the Meter Mode to Graph!•Set the Graph to “Waveforms” !•Ensure the system is on and 5v reference is available (either through battery or jumper)!•Begin rotating the reluctor wheel (rotate shaft or wheel)!•Watch the graphing screen for the 5v reference turning “on and off” creating a “Square wave” pattern.Automotive ApplicationsHALL EFFECT SensorCuriosity Engaged60

Test purpose:!This test is designed to monitor the voltage of the thermistor and determine if it is within range of the operating specifications. Thermistors are either NTC or PTC type and their resistance values are variable depending on the temperature that they are sensing. A thermistor can either be open, shorted or operating correctly or incorrectly. In this test we are looking to determine if the resistance change in the thermistor is smooth and consistent over the increase and decrease in temperature. Although this test is not a definitive “pass / fail” or “green light / red light” the tool is automatically set up for a fast voltage capture with stable readings and ranged correctly. Once connected to a thermistor, the graphing screen will be the way to monitor output.!Tool Setup:!•Top Chanel: N/A!•Bottom Channel: Voltage DC ranged at 60V!•Set Min/Max to Max!•Speed: 64MS (256) or (4000 Hz 256 SMPL)!Test Procedures:!•Place Leads on tool to Voltage DC !•Use Probe Tips on leads or clamps!•Connect the positive probe tip or clamp to the positive output of the thermistor!•Connector the ground probe tip or clamp to the ground of the thermistor!•Look for “out of range” , “0” Volts or a voltage reading.!•Set the Meter Mode to Graph!•Begin to heat up the thermistor.!•Watch the characteristics of the reading for a gradual change in the voltage.Automotive ApplicationsThermistor VoltageCuriosity Engaged61

Recommendations!A thermistor is not actively powering itself, but rather creating a voltage drop across itself based on temperature. A faulty thermistor reading on the vehicle may be the cause of the thermistor, the thermistor circuit, or the computer monitoring the thermistor value. !Diagnosis of a thermistor should be broken into the 3 categories of component, circuit and computer.!Diagnosing the thermistor:!•A thermistor can either be open, shorted, operating correctly or incorrectly. !•If the thermistor is open, the reading will be “out of range” or a the tool will see ghost voltage (a fluctuation of voltage randomly from the air and other electronics around us).!•If the thermistor is shorted it will either see 0 volts on the screen or at least a voltage reading that does not change due to the nature of how voltmeters work.!•If the thermistor is operating incorrectly, the changes in its internal resistance values will change sharply as consistent temperature is applied to the element and the readings will appear to “jump” or “drop”significantly as element is being heated and monitored.!Diagnosing the circuit:!If the thermistor is found to be operational or operating as expected but the issue still exists the next step is to diagnose the thermistor circuit.!•Begin with the connectors, then the feeds or cables and end with the grounds. !•Visually inspect and wiggle test the circuits.!•Use the “loaded cable” or “cable tests” from the voltage drop menu to verify there is no undue voltage drop on the system. (If possible and safe a loaded test of the cables disconnected from any computer circuits would be preferable.)!•If the problem still exists, attempt to diagnose the monitoring system of the thermistor using a wiring diagram to identify what is monitoring the thermistor value.Automotive ApplicationsThermistor VoltageCuriosity Engaged62

Test purpose:!This test is designed to monitor the resistance value of the thermistor and determine if it is within range of the operating specifications. Thermistors are either NTC or PTC type and their resistance values are variable depending on the temperature that they are sensing. A thermistor can either be open, shorted or operating correctly or incorrectly. In this test we are looking to determine if the resistance change in the thermistor is smooth and consistent over the increase and decrease in temperature. Although this test is not a definitive “pass / fail” or “green light / red light” the tool is automatically set up for a fast resistance capture with stable readings and ranged correctly. Once connected to a thermistor, the graphing screen will be the way to monitor output.!Tool Setup:!•Top Chanel: N/A!•Bottom Channel: Resistance - Ranged to 10MΩ!•Set Min/Max to Max!•Speed: 64MS (256) or (4000 Hz 256 SMPL)!Test Procedures:!•Place Leads on tool to Ohms and Common!•Use Probe Tips on leads or clamps!•Remove the thermistor from a power source.!•Connect the positive probe tip or clamp to the positive output of the thermistor!•Connector the ground probe tip or clamp to the ground of the thermistor!•Look for “out of range” , a “stuck” Ω value or a slightly fluctuating µΩ reading.!•Set the Meter Mode to Graph!•Begin to heat up the thermistor.!•Watch the characteristics of the reading for a gradual change in the resistance or Ω reading.Automotive ApplicationsThermistor ResistanceCuriosity Engaged63

Recommendations!A thermistor is not actively powering itself, but rather creating a voltage drop across itself based on temperature. A faulty thermistor reading on the vehicle may be the cause of the thermistor, the thermistor circuit, or the computer monitoring the thermistor value. !Diagnosis of a thermistor should be broken into the 3 categories of component, circuit and computer.!Diagnosing the thermistor:!•A thermistor can either be open, shorted, operating correctly or incorrectly. !•If the thermistor is open, the reading will be “out of range” or a the tool will see fluctuating resistance values due to ghost voltage (a fluctuation of voltage randomly from the air and other electronics around us).!•If the thermistor is shorted it will either see an Ohms value on the screen that fluctuates but does not intentionally increase or decrease or at least an ohms value reading that does not change due to the nature of how ohmmeters work.!•If the thermistor is operating incorrectly, the changes in its internal resistance values will change sharply as consistent temperature is applied to the element and the readings will appear to “jump” or “drop”significantly as element is being heated and monitored.!Diagnosing the circuit:!If the thermistor is found to be operational or operating as expected but the issue still exists the next step is to diagnose the thermistor circuit.!•Begin with the connectors, then the feeds or cables and end with the grounds. !•Visually inspect and wiggle test the circuits.!•Use the “loaded cable” or “cable tests” from the voltage drop menu to verify there is no undue voltage drop on the system. (If possible and safe a loaded test of the cables disconnected from any computer circuits would be preferable.)!•If the problem still exists, attempt to diagnose the monitoring system of the thermistor using a wiring diagram to identify what is monitoring the thermistor value.Automotive ApplicationsThermistor ResistanceCuriosity Engaged64

Test purpose:!The 3 wire Ω test is designed to identify if a potentiometer is operating correctly or at least behaving in a normal manner. Because there are many behaviors of a potentiometer value that can be monitored this test will not provide a “green light / red light” or “pass / fail” but it will allow you to monitor the behavior of the sensor and determine if it is behaving as it should in it’s given application. It is important to note that the resistance values of the potentiometer can value greatly from make, model and purpose so the auto range functionality must be left on. Three Wire potentiometer or position sensors will have a reference voltage pin, ground pin and output pin. In a 3 wire potentiometer sensor the output pin or signal reference pin is providing a voltage reading proportional to the movement of the system being monitored by the sensor typically within a 5 volt range (typically 0 - 5 volts). The output pin is effectively a voltmeter and provides a voltage reading based on the physical movement of the arm internally that is touching the resistor that is powered by the reference voltage and providing an output voltage value based on where the physical position of that arm is. In an off vehicle test, the potentiometer will act as a rheostat when no voltage reference is provided or present and produce a variable resistance value.!Tool Setup:!•Top Chanel: N/A!•Bottom Channel: Resistance - Auto Ranged!•Speed: 64MS (256) or (4000 Hz 256 SMPL)!Test Procedures (off vehicle):!•Place Leads on tool to Ohms and Common!•Use Probe Tips on leads or clamps!•Connect the positive probe tip or clamp to the positive output of the potentiometer!•Connector the ground probe tip or clamp to the ground of the potentiometer!•Look for “out of range” , a “stuck” Ω value or a slightly fluctuating µΩ reading.!•Set the Meter Mode to Graph!•Begin to move the shaft (or component), blade, arm or crank being measured (or component) !•Watch the characteristics of the reading for a proportional change in the resistance or Ω reading to the movement you are creating.Automotive Applications3 Wire ResistanceCuriosity Engaged65

Recommendations!A potentiometer is actively powered by a 5V reference. Internally the resistor is consuming voltage relative to the position of the arm being moved. Depending on the position of the arm the resistor can consume all of the voltage, none of the voltage or somewhere in between. The output of the voltage value is proportional and relative to the position of the arm on the resistor. In a potentiometer resistance value check, the potentiometer must be removed from the power source and a voltage drop across itself is created based on location of the sensing arm on the resistor. A faulty potentiometer or position reading on the vehicle may be the cause of the sensor, the sensor circuit (ground, Vref or output), or the computer monitoring the sensor value. !Diagnosis of a potentiometer should be broken into the 4 categories of sensor, circuit, computer and Component being “sensed” or monitored by the sensor.!Diagnosing the sensor:!•A potentiometer can either be open, shorted, operating correctly or incorrectly. !•If the potentiometer is open, the reading will be “out of range” or the tool will see fluctuating resistance values due to ghost voltage if no reference voltage is present. If the resistor inside is open the Vref pin and Ground pin will show out of range. If the sensing arm and ground are open the output pin and ground will show out of range!•If the potentiometer is shorted on the ground pin and output voltage pin it will either see an ohms value on the screen that fluctuates slightly or and ohms value that does not move with the arm, shaft or component being measured.!•If the potentiometer is operating incorrectly, the changes in its internal resistance values will change sharply as movement is applied to the component and the readings will appear to “jump” or “drop”significantly as sensor arm or blade is moved.!Diagnosing the circuit:!If the potentiometer is found to be operational or operating as expected but the issue still exists the next step is to diagnose the potentiometer circuit.!•Begin with the connectors, then the feeds or cables and end with the grounds. !•Visually inspect and wiggle test the circuits.!•Use the “loaded cable” or “cable tests” from the voltage drop menu to verify there is no undue voltage drop on the system. (If possible and safe use a loaded test of the cables disconnected from any computer or srs circuits.)!Diagnosing the component being monitored:!•After confirming the potentiometer has good reference voltage and ground, monitor the output voltage and activate or manually engage the position component being monitored to confirm the component is operating as expected. If operating as expected diagnose the monitoring system.Automotive Applications3 Wire ResistanceCuriosity Engaged66

Test purpose:!The 3 wire Ω test is designed to identify if a potentiometer is operating correctly or at least behaving in a normal manner. Because there are many behaviors of a potentiometer value that can be monitored this test will not provide a “green light / red light” or “pass / fail” but it will allow you to monitor the behavior of the sensor and determine if it is behaving as it should in it’s given application. It is important to note that the resistance values of the potentiometer can value greatly from make, model and purpose so the auto range functionality must be left on. Three Wire potentiometer or position sensors will have a reference voltage pin, ground pin and output pin. In a 3 wire potentiometer sensor the output pin or signal reference pin is providing a voltage reading proportional to the movement of the system being monitored by the sensor typically within a 5 volt range (typically 0 - 5 volts). The output pin is effectively a voltmeter and provides a voltage reading based on the physical movement of the arm internally that is touching the resistor that is powered by the reference voltage and providing an output voltage value based on where the physical position of that arm is. In an off vehicle test, the potentiometer will act as a rheostat when no voltage reference is provided or present and produce a variable resistance value.!Tool Setup:!•Top Chanel: N/A!•Bottom Channel: Voltage DC - Auto Ranged!•Speed: 64MS (256) or (4000 Hz 256 SMPL)!Test Procedures (on vehicle or powered with 5V ref):!•Place Leads on tool to Volts DC and Common!•Use Probe Tips on leads or clamps!•Connect the positive probe tip or clamp to the positive output of the potentiometer!•Connector the ground probe tip or clamp to the ground of the potentiometer!•Look for stuck voltage reading, 0 voltage reading or a fluctuating µV (microvolt) reading.!•Set the Meter Mode to Graph!•Begin to move the shaft (or component), blade, arm or crank being measured (or component) !•Watch the characteristics of the reading for a proportional change in the voltage or V to the movement you are creating.Automotive Applications3 Wire VoltageCuriosity Engaged67

Recommendations!A potentiometer is actively powered by a 5V reference. Internally the resistor is consuming voltage relative to the position of the arm being moved. Depending on the position of the arm the resistor can consume all of the voltage, none of the voltage or somewhere in between. The output of the voltage value is proportional and relative to the position of the arm on the resistor. In a potentiometer resistance value check, the potentiometer must be removed from the power source and a voltage drop across itself is created based on location of the sensing arm on the resistor. A faulty potentiometer or position reading on the vehicle may be the cause of the sensor, the sensor circuit (ground, Vref or output), or the computer monitoring the sensor value. !Diagnosis of a potentiometer should be broken into the 4 categories of sensor, circuit, computer and Component being “sensed” or monitored by the sensor.!Diagnosing the sensor:!•A potentiometer can either be open, shorted, operating correctly or incorrectly. !•If the potentiometer is open, the reading will be “0 Volts” or the tool will see fluctuating voltage values due to ghost voltage. If no reference voltage is present this will also occur. If the resistor inside is open the Vref pin and Ground pin will show “0 Volts” or ghost voltage. If the sensing arm and ground are open the output pin and ground will show “0 Volts” or ghost voltage.!•If the potentiometer is shorted on the ground pin and output voltage pin it will either see 0 Volts value or a stuck voltage value.!•If the potentiometer is operable, but operating incorrectly, the changes in its internal resistance values will change sharply as movement is applied to the component and the readings will appear to “jump” or “drop”significantly as sensor arm or blade is moved.!Diagnosing the circuit:!If the potentiometer is found to be operational or operating as expected but the issue still exists the next step is to diagnose the potentiometer circuit.!•Confirm Reference Voltage and Ground are present.!•Begin with the connectors, then the feeds or cables and end with the grounds. !•Visually inspect and wiggle test the circuits.!•Use the “loaded cable” or “cable tests” from the voltage drop menu to verify there is no undue voltage drop on the system. (If possible and safe use a loaded test of the cables disconnected from any computer or srs circuits.)!Diagnosing the component being monitored:!•After confirming the potentiometer has good reference voltage and ground, monitor the output voltage and activate or manually engage the position component being monitored to confirm the component is operating as expected. If operating as expected diagnose the monitoring system.Automotive Applications3 Wire VoltageCuriosity Engaged68

Test purpose:!This test is designed to help you identify if the O2 sensors (lambda sensors) are operating correctly. Because O2 sensors are measuring oxygen levels in engine exhaust they are exposed to high heat and depending the manufacturer they can be in areas that can be damaged by road debris. Faulty O2 Sensors can cause poor engine performance, high exhaust emissions and high fuel consumption. O2 Sensors typically output a voltage in reference to the lean and rich state of the fuel mixture (higher or lower oxygen levels) in the exhaust and will generate a voltage between .1V and .9V (for upstream O2 sensors) as the engine fuel air mixture alternates between rich and lean. If the upstream O2 sensor and emissions control system are doing their job correctly, the downstream O2 sensor should stay at approximately .45V as it is past the catalytic converter. This test will allow you to monitor the output of the O2 sensor voltage in a graphed view to either see the alternation of rich to lean states or the post catalytic converter leveled oxygen level.!Tool Setup!•Top Chanel: N/A!•Bottom Channel: Voltage DC - Auto Ranged!•Speed: 64MS (256) or (4000 Hz 256 SMPL)!Test Procedures:!•Place Leads on tool to Volts DC and Common!•Use Probe Tips on leads or clamps!•Connect the positive probe tip or clamp to the positive output of the 02 sensor!•Connector the ground probe tip or clamp to the ground of the 02 Sensor!•Set the Meter Mode to Graph!•Turn over engine and set revs to 2500 RPM!•Upstream O2 Sensor: Watch the characteristics of the reading to change from .1V - .9V!•Downstream 02 Sensor: watch the characteristics of the reading stabilize to approx. .45V to .5V (450 mV to 500mV)Automotive Applications02 Sensor (Lambda Sensor)Curiosity Engaged69

Recommendations:!O2 Sensors can become inoperable or damaged for many reasons, from circuit issues, to deposits, physical damage or chemical damage from the use of additives or wrong fuels and O2 sensor must be physically inspected before resigning to failure. !After a visual inspection of the O2 sensor mounting, housing condition, heating element, connectors, ground, power and signal wires if no visible damage or lose connectors are evident it is important to try and diagnose if the problem exists with:!•The sensor itself (deposits, housing, mounting),!•The heating element (internal resistance of 2 - 14 ohms…yes this test will be added later) !•O2 sensor Circuit (power, ground, signal wire)!•The emissions control unit monitoring the sensors. !Deposits on the sensor from soot, large or small spot deposits, burning marks and incorrect mounting can all effect the voltage output of the sensor. Check to make sure the outer housing (protective tube) exposed to the exhaust is clean and not covered. Because these can be caused by leaded fuel and fuel additives it is important to advise the customer to use the manufacturer recommended fuel and services. There is no safe way to clean an O2 sensor and if deposits, soot or other contaminants are found on the housing cover a replacement will be necessary. Also if the O2 sensor was improperly mounted and the threads are damaged it is important to replace the sensor as an improper seal can also cause the sensor to operate incorrectly.!Checking the the heating element of the sensor is also important, the heating element should have anywhere from 2 - 14 ohms and can be checked on 3 and 4 wire sensors. Sometimes the housing is used as the ground for the sensor so be sure to check the manufacturers specifications for pin locations and diagram. !Diagnosing the circuit:!If the Sensor is found to be operational or operating as expected but the issue still exists the next step is to diagnose the sensor circuit.!•Begin with the connectors, then the feeds or cables and end with the grounds. !•Visually inspect and wiggle test the circuits.!•Use the “loaded cable” or “cable tests” from the voltage drop menu to verify there is no undue voltage drop on the system. (If possible and safe use a loaded test of the cables disconnected from any computer or sensitive circuits).!Diagnosing the component being monitored:!•After confirming the sensor has good operation and circuits are operating within specification, it is time to diagnose the monitoring system.Automotive Applications02 Sensor (Lambda Sensor)Curiosity Engaged70

Voltage Drop TestsApp ExplanationsCuriosity EngagedFor updated videos and follow along content

The voltage drop tests are used to provide a general testing guideline and basis if the manufacturer specifications are not available to compare voltage drops against. !Voltage drop testing with a loaded circuit is the best way to determine if a component on an electrical is in a good operating health. With the circuit under load the voltage drop tells us if there is too much or too little resistance on the circuit or component.!The following tests are meant to be tested under their normal operating loads on vehicle. They can be removed from the vehicle, however the test loads will need to be simulated.!The current test features in the application for the voltage drops are:!•Magnetic Switches!•Solenoid Switches!•Connections!•Battery Terminals!•Battery Cables!Although these tests are what is present today, the list of component types is growing and will continue to be updated. As the system tests and training materials increase, they will be updated on the virtual portion of this text.Automotive ApplicationsVoltage Drop TestsCuriosity Engaged72

Automotive ApplicationsMagnetic SwitchesTest purpose:!This test is designed to help you find the optimal voltage drop across magnetic switches in the vehicle. Magnetic switches can be found in window circuits, sun roof circuits, fuel systems and more. Although it is always optimal to know the manufacturer specification for magnetic switch voltage drop a good rule of thumb is no more than 100mV or .1 V of voltage drop when the circuit is powered. !Tool Setup!•Top Chanel: N/A!•Bottom Channel: Auxiliary Voltage DC OR Voltage DC- Auto Ranged!•Set Min/Max to Max!•Speed: 256MS (32) or (115 Hz 32 SMPL)!Test Procedures:!•Place Leads on Tool !•Please probe tips or clamps on leads!•Place positive probe tip or clamp on switch positive terminal!•Place common probe tip or clamp on switch ground terminal!•Set Min/Max to Max!•Activate and load circuit in normal operation.!•The data intelligence menu will show green for acceptable or “Ok” Voltage drop and red for high voltage drop or “Bad”.Curiosity Engaged73

Automotive ApplicationsSolenoid SwitchesTest purpose:!This test is designed to provide feedback on voltage drop testing across a solenoid switch. Although we can test the circuit as a whole and the feeds to and from the solenoid, if we have a faulty solenoid switch it is important to diagnose it under load. We should expect to see no more than 90mV (.09V) of voltage drop across this switch. If you do not have the manufacturer specification for voltage drop of the solenoid switch you want to test, this is a good rule of thumb test.!Tool Setup!•Top Chanel: N/A!•Bottom Channel: Voltage DC - Auto Ranged!•Set Min/Max to Max!•Speed: 64MS (256) or (4000 Hz 256 SMPL)!Test Procedures:!•Place Leads on Tool !•Please probe tips or clamps on leads!•Place positive probe tip or clamp on switch positive terminal!•Place common probe tip or clamp on switch ground terminal!•Set Min/Max to Max!•Activate and load circuit in normal operation.!•The data intelligence window will show green if the voltage drop was 90 mV and below or red if the voltage drop was above 90mV.Curiosity Engaged74

Automotive ApplicationsConnectorsTest purpose:!This test is designed to provide feedback on voltage drop testing across connections and connections for any circuit. If you do not have the manufacturer specification for voltage drop for the particular connector or connection you want to test, this is a good rule of thumb test and will lean on the conservative side of “more voltage drop = bad”. This test will require you to place the connector under normal operating load and will be looking for a voltage drop of 90mV (.09V) to make the determination of “good” or “Bad”!Tool Setup!•Top Chanel: N/A!•Bottom Channel: Voltage DC - Auto Ranged!•Set Min/Max to Max!•Speed: 64MS (256) or (4000 Hz 256 SMPL)!Test Procedures:!•Place Leads on Tool !•Please probe tips or clamps on leads!•Place positive probe tip or clamp on connector positive side!•Place common probe tip or clamp on connector negative side!•Set Min/Max to Max!•Activate and load circuit in normal operation.!•The data intelligence window will show green if the voltage drop was 90 mV and below or red if the voltage drop was above 90mV.Curiosity Engaged75

Automotive ApplicationsBattery Terminal TestTest purpose:!This test is designed to determine if the terminal connector has high voltage drop on it and can be the cause of your electrical gremlins. Please note that you will want to have as many high loads on when performing this test in order to have a sufficient Voltage drop test from the battery post to the battery terminal. The tool is looking for voltage drops of less than or more than 200mV from the battery post to the terminals.!Once the Battery Terminals test is selected, the application will automatically set up the tool and range it for this test.!Tool Setup:!•Top Chanel: N/A!•Bottom Channel: Voltage DC ranged at 60V!•Speed: 64MS (256) or (4000 Hz 256 SMPL)!Test Procedures:!•Turn on head lamps and any other high loads!•Place Leads on tool to Voltage DC !•Use Probe Tips on leads!•For the Ground Terminal:!•Press the ground probe on battery ground post.!•Press the positive probe on the “-“ Battery Terminal connector !•Data intelligence menu will present “Good” or “Bad”!•For the Positive Terminal!•Press the positive probe on battery positive post.!•Press the ground probe on the “+” Battery Terminal connector !•Data intelligence menu will present “Good” or “Bad”Curiosity Engaged76

Recommendations:!•If Battery Terminals are found to be “Bad” this voltage drop can be caused by corrosion, rust, crust, oxidation and other materials introduced between the battery post and the terminal. The first recommendation is to clean the battery posts.!•Once cleaned, Retest the battery terminals.!•If the terminal voltage drop is gone, continue testing procedure. If Voltage Drop remains uninstall and reinstall the terminals and use dielectric grease at the posts and terminals and ensure a tight fit.!•Ensure there is no debris or object between the battery posts and the terminal.!•If second cleaning does not resolve issue, expect to replace the battery terminals. Discuss with the customer.Automotive ApplicationsBattery Terminal TestCuriosity Engaged77

Automotive ApplicationsBattery Cables TestTest purpose:!This test is designed to help you determine if the power feed cables have voltage drop on them in a loaded environment. By testing for voltage drop with load on the cables (such as a crank over or other high draw loads) this test allows us to look at the amount of drop on the cable over a given period of time. Any voltage drop above 500mV on the power feeds or battery cables can cause problems down the electrical “chain of custody” and can possibly cause electrical gremlins to plague the rest of the systems on board. !Tool Setup:!•Top Chanel: N/A!•Bottom Channel: Voltage DC ranged at 60V!•Set Min/Max to Max!•Speed: 64MS (256) or (4000 Hz 256 SMPL)!Test Procedures:!•Place Leads on tool to Voltage DC !•Use Probe Tips on leads!•For the Ground Terminal:!•Press the ground probe on battery “-“ terminal/post.!•Press the positive probe on the Vehicle chassis or motor !•Data intelligence menu will present “Good” or “Bad”!•For the Positive Terminal!•Press the positive probe on battery positive terminal/post.!•Press the ground probe on the starter output connector !•Data intelligence menu will present “Good” or “Bad”!•Clear Min/Max and set to Max!•Turn on head lamps and any other high loads or Crank OverCuriosity Engaged78

Automotive ApplicationsBattery Cables TestRecommendations If a “bad” result if found it is important to Inspect your power feed (cable) connectors for loose connections, corrosion, breaks and other issues. Also checking the wire integrity is important as friction, other technicians or mother nature may have caused a break in the cable shielding and allowed moisture to enter the cable causing rust or corrosion.!After inspecting the power feed connections and cable for visible damage if any is found, this must be addressed by either proper repair, replacement for readjustment.!If the connectors have no visible damage inspect cable closer and begin the “wiggle” test along the whole wire to ensure there are no breaks along the body inside the insulation and shielding.!If the cable has no visible damage clean and readjust the connectors and retest.!If the issue is resolved, continue on your diagnostic process and confirm your original issues have gone away, although a high or higher than expected voltage drop on the cables can cause issues along the electrical chain of custody, other issues may still exist.!If the “bad” notification remains, you may need to completely before replacing it. Remove the power feed to inspect closer and either repair or replace.Curiosity Engaged79

Temperature System TestsApp ExplanationsCuriosity EngagedFor updated videos and follow along content

The temperature tests allow you to take the internal temperature measurement on the N2 Neuron and compare it against the thermocouple probe temperature. Because the Thermocouples are cold junction (meaning they require the internal temperature reading to calculate temperature of the k-type thermal probe) both the auxiliary voltage DC Channels and internal temperature channels are used in the testing.!These tests will require the Auxiliary Voltage DC Meter and Internal Temperature channel displayed in a particular order (Auxiliary Voltage DC on top channel and Internal Temp on bottom channel).!The system tests are designed to help you determine the temperature of the environment around you.!The current test feature in the application for the temperature system are:!•Air Conditioner Recharge!•K-Type Thermal Probe!Although these tests are what is present today, the list of component types is growing and will continue to be updated. As the system tests and training materials increase, they will be updated on the virtual portion of this text.Automotive ApplicationsTemperature TestsCuriosity Engaged81

38.78F| -30F DIFFAutomotive ApplicationsAir Conditioner RechargeTest purpose:!This test is designed to provide a comparison between the internal temperature channel of the N2 Neuron and the k-Type thermocouple probe tip. Because there are more complex factors such as humidity and ambient temperature differential locations the rule of thumb of 30° F difference between ambient and thermocouple are being used as the “Good” and “Bad” results. The application will not only show you the different temperatures but show the difference between them as well.!Tool Setup!•Thermocouple required.!•Top Chanel: Auxiliary Voltage DC - Auto Ranged!•Bottom Channel: Internal Temp- Auto Ranged!•Speed: 256MS (32) or (115 Hz 32 SMPL)!Test Procedures:!•Place thermocouple black probe on common!•Place thermocouple red probe on Ohms!•Place N2 on windshield or external to the vehicle (out of direct sunlight, via shade or other covering)!•Extend 5 Foot long thermocouple to inside of vehicle, insert into right center vent of console.!•Turnover Engine and set Air Conditioner to max cold or as low as possible.!•Monitor the temperature difference.!•If the temperature difference meets or exceeds a 30° F the window will turn green, otherwise it will be red.Curiosity Engaged82

Automotive ApplicationsK-Type ThermocoupleTest purpose:!This test is designed to let you test temperature using a type thermocouple with the N2 Neuron. The K-type thermocouple is a cold junction probe that requires the use of the internal temperature measurement and the auxiliary voltage dc measurement at the same time. The thermocouple reading can be viewed numerically or graphed in the graphing screen. The measurement from the K-Type Thermocouple probe can be viewed in the data intelligence window to the left of menu. The internal temperature measurement is coming from an onboard temperature sensor to the N2. The internal temperature measurement of the N2 will affect the thermocouple reading so it is important that the Internal temperature reading be as close to ambient as possible. Do not leave the N2 in direct sunlight or on hot surfaces when doing temperature testing, cover the N2 in shade if in sunlight to ensure temperatures in the housing do not rise above ambient.!Tool Setup!•Thermocouple required.!•Top Chanel: Auxiliary Voltage DC - Auto Ranged!•Bottom Channel: Internal Temp- Auto Ranged!•Speed: 256MS (32) or (115 Hz 32 SMPL)!Test Procedures:!•Place thermocouple black probe on common!•Place thermocouple red probe on Ohms!•Place Thermocouple bead on surface of anything you wish to measure.Curiosity Engaged83

Power TestsApp ExplanationsCuriosity EngagedFor updated videos and follow along content

The Power Tests are designed to help you identify different characteristics of power calculations or create power calculations to either diagnose a component, circuit or understand a system.!Each power test has its own requirements and depending on the test can be for DC voltage only or AC and DC Voltage.!The current test features in the application for the Power Tests are:!•Ohms Law (V=IR)!•Real Power!•Apparent Power!•Power Factor!Although these tests are what is present today, the list of component types is growing and will continue to be updated. As the system tests and training materials increase, they will be updated on the virtual portion of this text.Automotive ApplicationsPower TestsCuriosity Engaged85

Test purpose:!This test is designed to help you calculate the resistance of a circuit without you needing to do the math on your own. With the Current DC or Amp Clamp Conversion current on top channel and Voltage on Boot Channel, the tool will do the ohms law calculations for you. Although voltage drop is the preferred way to check for high resistance in a circuit, this quick test shows if you are trailing just below noticeable thresholds that would not be blatantly obvious with voltage drop testing. !Tool Setup:!•Top Chanel: Amperage (your choice of Current DC or amp clamp conversion)!•Bottom Channel: Voltage DC Auto Ranged !•Speed: 64MS (256) or (4000 Hz 256 SMPL)!Test Procedures for Current DC:!•Place Positive lead on tool to Voltage DC !•Place Auxiliary lead on Amperage !•Place Common lead on Common.!•Use Probe Tips or clamps on leads!•Place the positive lead on the positive side of the circuit.!•Place the common lead on the ground side of the circuit!•Place the Auxiliary lead on the ground side of the circuit/component to be powered (no more than 10 amps through the tool).!Test Procedures for Auxiliary Voltage DC 1a = 100mV or 1a = 10mV!•Place Positive lead on tool to Voltage DC !•Place Common lead on Amperage.!•Place Amp Clamp Common on Common !•Place Amp Clamp Positive lead on Ohms!•Place positive lead on positive side of circuit!•Place common lead on ground side of circuit!•Place amp clamp around cable that feeds the component being tested.!The calculated resistance value will be in the Data Intelligence menu below.Automotive ApplicationsOhms Law (V=IR)Curiosity Engaged86

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